A New Hope
by ScarredNotBroken
Summary: Construction has begun on the bridge that will finally connect the City and the Satellite. But certain people aren't happy with the City's decision to unite the two places and will stop at nothing to make sure the bridge is never completed! *Discontinued :(
1. Chapter 1 The Loner

FallingStar93: Guess what! I'm finally posting this story!

ElodieKumari94: *claps sarcastically* Congratulations! It's only been almost a year and a half since we starting writing this!

FS93: Yeah, yeah, yeah... Anyway, in case you haven't noticed, I have a co-writer for this story!

EK94: So, in other words, it's helpful if you've ready my story _The Crow and the Dove _before you read this.

FS93: Although it's not really essential... You pretty much get a recap in the first few chapters. However, if you haven't read _Angels and Devils, _you might be a little more lost.

EK94: ...But now that I think about it, neither are really necessary for understanding... Just helpful.

FS93: ...Ya know, that is true...

EK94: Okay, now we're just rambling. Go read the story.

FS93: Wait! We haven't done the disclaimer yet!

EK94: ...Well? What are you waiting for then?

FS93: Right. Neither of us owns Yu-Gi-Oh 3D's, just our OC's. The only two who appear in this chapter are Elodie Kumari and Naomi Mori. However, more come in later, and we still own them.

Both: Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter One: The Loner<strong>

The last sliver of sunlight was just cresting over the western horizon, casting long shadows across the silent streets of the Satellite Sector. Only one lone figure remained out in the streets, walking towards a destination not even she knew. She denied the beauty and the serenity of the twilight sky as she walked, searching for a place to settle down for the night. In her mind, the cold cruelty of the world she lived in shut out any sort of beauty.

So she kept walking, just as she had the night before, and the night before that, and, you guessed it, the night before that as well. It was always the same for her. She was always searching for something, whether it was food, or a place to sleep, or something she knew she would never find, something she had lost hope in finding long ago. It never changed, and as far as she knew, nothing would ever change, no matter how hard other people tried to make it change; like the whole deal with the new bridge being built to reconnect Satellite with new Domino City, for instance. Whose crazy idea had that been? People were saying that it would bring everyone together again, give everyone a new chance and new hope, and that it would change society for the better. Yeah, right. As far as the loner knew, nothing could fix a world already so broken by hate and war, and it was ridiculous to even try.

Whatever, she thought to herself as she turned into yet another dark ally. Let them dream. They will realize soon enough that what they are attempting is impossible.

The loner walked down the ally and found herself at a dead end. She decided this would do for tonight. There was a pile of old, long-forgotten flour sacks in the corner; they could be handy in making a nice enough sleeping place. It was early summer, so the night wouldn't get too chilly, so she didn't need to worry about being cold or anything. The loner set to spreading the bags out in the corner of the ally, in the shadows, where she wouldn't easily be seen. When she was satisfied, she lay down and stretched herself out over her makeshift bed, ready for a good rest.

The loner was just about to fall asleep when a strange noise reached her ears. She opened her bright green eyes and sat up, listening intently, a confused frown creasing her brow. Yes, the sound was definitely footsteps - footsteps of someone in a hurry. Someone who was coming closer. Coming from... above her?

A dark shadow passed over the loner as someone leapt from the rooftop behind her. The figure hit the street as light and silent as a cat, and the loner barely had time to register the figure before it shot off like a bullet without looking back. The loner watched as the stranger ran out of the ally and into the open moonlight, coming to a halt in the distant street. She realized that the stranger was a girl about her age, with long, chocolate brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, dressed in dark jeans and a maroon-red leather jacket, with a thick black choker around her neck. The girl turned her head to look down the street, and the loner saw the side of her pale-skinned face and one of her large, hazel eyes, wide and dilated with fear and adrenaline.

The hazel-eyed girl turned and started to head down the street, but then she skidded to a halt, turned, and sprinted in the other direction, all in about two seconds, as a distant voice cried, "There she is! Get her!"

The loner got to her feet and watched from the shadows as a small group of black-clad men ran passed the alley after the girl.

"There she goes!"

"After her!"

"She won't get away this time!"

As their footsteps and shouts faded away, the loner crept forward and peered down the street in the direction they had gone. There was no sign of the girl or the gang. She stepped out of the ally and stared down the street, folding her arms over her chest as she thought about what had just happened. Those men were chasing that girl for some reason.

Well, it sucks to be her then, the loner thought as she turned to go back down the ally. It's not my fault she ticked those guys off. She'll have to escape on her own.

But the loner stopped again as she remembered the fear and anger she had seen in the girl's eyes. She remembered when that had been her, running for her life from people who wanted to do her harm. What if the men caught the girl? What would they do to her?

Not my problem! the loner told herself fiercely. She took another step down the ally, but her conscience made her stop again. She couldn't get the girl's face out of her mind. She suddenly felt herself flash back to when she had been the one trapped and desperate for a way out, and someone had come just in the nick of time to save her...

Someone else will help her, the loner tried to console herself. Why should I do anything?

But that was just it: If she didn't do anything, who would? Who else would be there to save that girl from whatever fate those thugs had planned?

The loner sighed furiously... then turned and ran down the street.

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><p>Elodie knew she was in trouble.<p>

She had a huge gang coming at her from all sides, and it seemed as though no matter where she turned, they were there. On top of that, they had stolen her duel disk, so she couldn't use her powers to defend herself. Her friends had no idea where she was or even that she was in trouble, and her phone was dead, so she couldn't call them for help. This just wasn't her night!

Elodie turned another corner only to find herself in at a dead-end. She turned to run back, but she could sense that the gang was closing in on her. There was no way she would be able to get out of there without them catching her. She looked around for a ladder, a trap door, somewhere to hide, and found nothing. She was trapped like a cheese-hunting lab rat.

"Fan-tastic!" Elodie growled as she pulled her pocket knife out of her boot and turned to face her enemy. The gang members snickered as the crept towards her; they knew she had no where to run. Elodie gave her own furiously snarl as she held the knife out in front of her and got into a defensive position. They weren't going to take her without a fight.

"We've got you now, little witch," the leader sneered, stepping forward. He was a large, brutish bald man with Criminal Marks all over his face and tattoos on his beefy arms. Backing him up was at least half a dozen other thugs from the streets. Elodie figured she could take maybe a couple of them in hand-to-hand combat, but that wasn't going to be enough to get her out of this. There numbers were too large. The gang leader knew this, and his evil smile widened as he laughed loudly.

"There's no where for you to run now!" he cackled as he and his fellows advanced. "You can't take all of us at once with that little stick of a blade, and you can't use your witchy hocus-pocus without your duel disk! We are going to stop you and your stupid friends from finishing that bridge, Witch, no matter what it takes!"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Elodie snarled, bracing herself for the attack. The chances of her getting out of this one unscathed were very, very slim, but she had to try. No way was she going to lay down like a dog and let these thugs trample all over her; especially since she was fighting for something she so strongly believed in as the bridge.

The gang leader chuckled again. He and his friends rushed forward, weapons and fists held high, and Elodie prepared herself for the attack...

"Did someone here order a duel disk?"

Elodie's head snapped toward the sound of the voice, and the gang stopped their charge to turn and see who had spoken. There was a small, black-clad figure standing at the mouth of the ally, half cloaked in shadow. All Elodie could see of her was light brown, shoulder length hair beneath a navy-blue stocking cap and bright green eyes that glittered dangerously through the shadows.

"Who are you?" one of the gang members demanded. "What are you doing here?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was obvious. Not the brightest crayon in the box, now are we?"

"You'd better scram, little girl," the gang leader growled. "This does not concern you!"

"Get out of here!" Elodie mouthed at the girl, waving frantically at her to go away; she didn't want her to get hurt for her sake.

But the stranger just shook her head and declared, "I'm not going anywhere."

The gang leader smiled devilishly at her. "Fine, then. We'll just take you down before we get the witch! Get her, boys!"

"No!" Elodie cried as the thugs rushed at the girl, but she needn't have worried. The girl ducked and weaved around her attackers with expert precision, occasionally landing a will-timed punch or kick of her own. It was obvious that she was experienced in fighting, but there were still too many of them. Elodie ran forward to help, and the girl saw her coming.

"Outta the way, you over-grown turkey!" she barked at a gang member as she shoved him out of the way. Then she threw something into the air towards Elodie.

"CATCH!"

Elodie reached up with her free hand, and as her fingers closed around the duel disk the girl had thrown at her, her eyes glowed bright amber and her powers coursed through her veins. It was go-time!

"The witch has a duel disk!" one of the gang members yelped as Elodie strapped the disk to her arm and activated it.

"Get behind me!" Elodie ordered the girl. The stranger shoved her way through the retreating gang and obeyed the psychic; she had seen the angry, powerful light in her eyes and realized she was not to be questioned.

"Dark Zebra ought to do the trick!" Elodie proclaimed as she drew a card and slapped it face-up on the duel disk. There was a bright white glow beneath the two girls' feet, and before the stranger knew it, she and Elodie were on the back of a huge zebra with black and red eyes. The zebra let out a terrifying scream and reared up, legs kicking wildly over the heads of the duel gang as they all yelled out in fear and fought to get out of the alleyway.

"And I'll be taking THAT back, thank you!" Elodie snapped as her monster's hooves struck a gang member clutching another duel disk. The man fell with a cry of pain, and the duel disk flew out of his hands. The green-eyed girl caught it, and Elodie charged her beast through the panicking gang and out of the alley. The stranger sitting behind her cried out from the breathtaking speed and clung onto the back of Elodie's jacket as the world rushed past her.

"Are they fallowing us?" Elodie called over her shoulder as they galloped down the street.

"I don't think so!" the other girl answered, turning around to check. Elodie nodded and directed her zebra around a corner and down another street. After a couple more turns, Elodie finally slowed her equestrian beast to a stop and jumped off. The other girl did the same, and the zebra disappeared in a burst of stars and returned to Elodie's deck as she deactivated the duel disk. She touched a hand to the choker around her neck, which was special designed to help stabilize her powers, and she felt the psychic energy slowly drain out of her system as her eyes went from glowing gold back to her usual hazel.

"Thanks a lot for that," Elodie said, turning and giving the girl grateful smile as they traded the duel disks back to their owners. "You were amazing back there! And you've sure got great timing."

"Whatever," the stranger muttered with a shrug. Elodie smiled again and walked to the edge of the street, peering around the corner. Using both her eyes and her powers, she checked to see if anyone was coming after them.

"We should be safe now," she said. "I don't think they're going to come after us again. Hey, what's your name, by the-"

Elodie turned only to see the stranger disappear around the corner at the opposite end of the street.

"Hey, wait up!" Elodie called at the girl, running after her. By the time she reached the end of the street, the girl who had saved her life was gone. The moonlit street was alone and deserted, the green-eyed stranger nowhere to be seen. Elodie couldn't even sense her aura anymore. She had simply vanished.

Elodie wasn't sure how long she stood in the middle of that shadow-filled street, staring out in shock as the moon climbed higher into the sky, but the next thing she knew, she both heard and sensed someone riding toward her on a duel runner. With a smile, she recognized who it was, and turned to see a very familiar figure driving a black-and-yellow duel runner shoot around a corner and head straight towards her.

"Crow!" Elodie cried in relief as her closest friend came to a stop beside her.

"There you are, Elodie! What the devil are you doing out here? We've been trying to call you for the past half-hour! We've all been worried."

"Sorry, my phone died a while ago. I would have been home sooner if I, erm, hadn't run into a bit of trouble earlier..."

Crow noticed that Elodie still had her pocket knife clutched in her hand and frowned. "What kind of 'trouble' exactly? Is everything alright?"

"I'm... not sure," Elodie muttered uncertainly, still gazing down the silent street. Then she tore her eyes away, stored her knife back into the sheath hidden in her boot, and climbed onto the Blackbird behind Crow.

"I'll explain when we get back to the apartment," she said. "Let's just get out of here."

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><p>EK94: So? What did you guys think of the first chapter? Reviews please?<p>

FS93: Speaking of reviews, I have a little policy about that. And it's different than in past stories of mine, so everyone listen up! Review if you will, concrit if you please, and flame if you must. But, in all honesty if you flame, I will automatically think 'How immature!' and promptly ignore it. If you think this story is horrible at least have the decentsy to tell us how to fix it.

Both: Thanks for reading! ^_^


	2. Chapter 2 Naomi Mori

FS93: Hello again! And thanks for coming back!

EK94: ...Even though it took her forever to post this chapter. We wrote this thing, like, literally a year ago.

FS93: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I'm a horrible procrastinator. ...Which is why I still haven't finished writing Darkness Before Dawn... I need to do that.

EK94: Well, it's not like you won't have plenty time. You have a 9-hour flight tomorrow. I'm still jealous you get to go to New Orleans.

FS93: Writer's block is horrible... That's why I haven't written it yet... And, hey, I'm bringing you back a present.

EK94: *Sighs* Well, she's kept you waiting long enough, so we will argue about this while you read. I'm sure the story will be more entertaining than our conversation.

Both: Enjoy!^^

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Naomi Mori<strong>

"... And then she just... disappeared. I couldn't even feel her aura anymore!" Elodie finished. She, Crow, Jack, and Yusei were in the living room of Elodie's apartment; both her and Crow's nests were already asleep, so the four of them could speak freely about what had just happened. Elodie, her elbows on her knees, and Crow, his left arm around her shoulders, occupied the couch; Jack was sitting in an arm chair, arms and legs crossed; Yusei stood leaning against the wall, arms also crossed, one foot pressed flat to the wall.

"That seems strange to me," Crow commented. "What reason would she have to run away from you?"

Elodie just shook her head. "I have no idea; I've been asking myself the same question ever since I saw her turn that corner. It's not like she was afraid of me; I would have been able to sense it if she was. I don't understand though: I can sense her aura when she's standing near me, but not after she's left. All of this missing information is gonna drive me crazy!"

"Do you remember what she looked like?" Yusei asked. "It's a long-shot, but maybe one of us will recognize her, and then we'd at least have a name."

"Well..." Elodie furrowed her brow in thought as she gazed down at her hands, trying to remember. "She was a little shorter than I, with green eyes and light brown hair that went fell just past her shoulders. She was dressed entirely in black except for her hat, which was navy blue. Oh, and she must have grown up in Satellite since she didn't have a criminal mark."

"Her shoes were black too?"

"Well, they were black converse anyway..."

Yusei heaved a heavy sigh, ducking his head so that his raven bangs over-shadowed his sapphire eyes. "Now it makes a little more sense."

"Huh?" Elodie turned her head towards him in surprise.

"I think I missed something..." Crow scratched his head, perplexed.

"Our mystery rescuer has a name," Yusei responded, head still bowed. "I met Naomi Mori a few years ago. I was never really able to find out what was bothering her, but she reminded me of how Crow said you used to be, Elodie. Troubled. Untrusting. Completely closed to the world."

"When did that happen?" Crow asked.

"You know how I disappeared that day after Kalin was arrested? I went walking - just down random streets of Satellite - just to give myself some space to think. That's when I ran into her."

"So what happened, exactly? If you don't mind my asking..." Elodie inquired softly.

A sad smile appeared on the raven-haired boy's face. "I don't mind. It's quite a long story so I won't go into detail, though. She didn't want my help, but I refused to leave her alone. Eventually she challenged me to a duel; she told me that if she won, I had to leave her alone, but if I won, she would tell me anything I wanted to know. There's a lot of pain buried in her heart, and I have the feeling I only scratched the surface during that duel. The way she dueled told me more about her than she herself actually did; her deck is a mixture of Dark and Light attribute monsters - more specifically, a Chaosworn deck. About the only thing she actually said was how she'd never let anyone get the upper-hand on her ever again.

"I tried to help her during our duel, but either I didn't her through to her at all, or she refused to accept what I was trying to tell her. I'm not sure which. Whatever the case, she left, and I haven't seen of heard anything about her since."

Elodie recognized the behavior. "You think maybe someone betrayed her? Just like with me?"

He nodded. "She told me at least part of the story, as well as saying something about my not knowing how it felt to be betrayed. I got the impression that she hadn't always been that hard-hearted, so it's possible that maybe it even happened more that once." He sighed. "I just wish I could've found out more about her at the very least. She just seemed so... desperate, I guess. Desperate to get rid of me more than anything, like having me there hurt her in some way."

For a moment all was silent except for the continuous mournful cry of the early-summer crickets. Elodie was thinking about the girl. Yusei's story made sense; she had sensed how sad and angry Naomi was in her aura. She remembered how she had once been just like that... until Crow had shown her the light. She remembered how hard he had tried to help her, to be her friend, to convince her he was trustworthy. She also remembered what it had taken for her to believe him. It sounded like Yusei had tried to do the same thing for Naomi... but with opposite results.

Then Jack spoke for the first time that evening, breaking through Elodie's thoughts. "Well, nothing we can do about it now," the blonde murmured. "So how 'bout we get some sleep, eh? We've got more bridge to build tomorrow."

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><p>But Elodie couldn't sleep no matter how hard she tried. She lie awake in bed for hours, hands behind her head, until she finally decided she couldn't take it anymore. Glancing at the clock - it read just after 2 a.m. - she slid out of bed as quietly as a mouse and pulled on her shoes and coat. Grabbing her duel disk, she silently slid into the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door into the night.<p>

'Crow helped me so much,' she thought to herself as she stole down the dark street. 'Now it's my turn to do the same for this girl!'

The hours seemed to stretch on for longer than their value as Elodie searched the lonely streets of Satellite. At long-last, the first red rays of the sun appeared along the eastern horizon. As it began to rise higher and higher into the blue sky above, the bright rays cast long shadows into the streets and allies, but they also illuminated the dark spaces. It was in one of these dark spaces between an old, rusted-out dumpster and the back wall of a dead-end that Elodie found the teen she was looking for.

The girl, Naomi, was sleeping lightly on a large pile of old, forgotten flour sacks. Elodie approached her a little hesitantly, not wanting to wake her up, unsure what to do now. But that problem was solved for her when Naomi suddenly stirred, rolled onto her back, and opened her eyes.

"Man, that was a crazy dream," the girl muttered, rubbing the sunlight out of her eyes. "Duel gangs, and psychics, and giant zebras..."

"Oh my," Elodie finished in her best Dorothy voice to announce her presence. Naomi, startled, quickly say up to see the psychic standing just a few yards away in the alley, a small smile on her lips, shadowed by the rising sun.

"Oh," was all Naomi could say as she stared at Elodie, blinking in surprise. "Guess it wasn't a dream after all."

"No, sorry." Elodie chuckled, moving towards the girl as she jumped lightly to her feet. This was the first time Elodie had seen her in full light. Naomi was a very petite girl, a few inches shorter than Elodie, with light brown, shoulder-length hair covered by a navy blue stocking cap, and bright green eyes that were wary and full of suspicion. She wore mostly black, with a short-sleeved shirt, dark jeans that were slightly ripped, and fingerless gloves. It wasn't just her appearance that was dark, Elodie observed as she stopped just a few feet away from her. Naomi's aura was shrouded with darkness, with cold, unfeeling distrust and suspicion; it was just as Yusei had described. But there was also a spark of light buried deep inside her, dying to come out and shine. All of this reminded Elodie so much of how she had once been back in her dark days; the similarities pained her.

"So what do you want?" Naomi asked coldly.

"Well," Elodie started, taking a step forward, "You never really gave me a chance to thank you for saving my butt last night. I would have been dog chow if you hadn't turned up when you did."

Naomi shrugged. "Like I said: whatever."

The awkward silence that followed made Elodie feel even more hurt for the girl. Had she herself really been that cold and unfeeling once?

"Well, anyway," she continued, trying to break the silence, "my name is Elodie - Elodie Kumari."

Naomi glanced critically at Elodie's outstretched hand for a moment, and her suspicious green eyes lifted to meet her piercing hazel ones. Elodie was smiling pleasantly, but Naomi saw in her eyes resolute determination, and she knew this girl wasn't going to leave her alone until she got at least a name (for she didn't know Elodie already knew her name). She gave a long, exasperated sigh.

"Naomi Mori," she grumbled, shaking Elodie's hand. The two girls locked eyes and held each other's gaze for a long moment, green into hazel, each girl trying to read the mind and emotions of the other. Elodie, who was a psychic, had an easier job at this, and she already felt a strong connection to the smaller girl. Naomi, however, was at a disadvantage, as Elodie had just as good of a poker face as she herself did. All she could tell was that this was not a girl to underestimate or take lightly, and she was already determined not to trust her.

Elodie frowned at the girl's coldness. "You're afraid of me?"

"What?" Naomi scoffed. "Why would I be afraid of you?"

Raising an eyebrow cynically, Elodie allowed her psychic powers to show, making her eyes blaze amber and her voice turn dark and warped. "Does this give you any reminders?"

Naomi felt a light shudder run down her spine at this unnerving display of power, but she stuck her chin out defiantly and declared, "So you're a psychic; why should I fear you?"

"Most people do when they see someone bring illustrations from a piece of paper to life."

"Well, I'm not 'most people,'" Naomi retorted. "I'm not afraid of you."

Elodie smiled, her eyes dimming back to hazel. "Good. I'm glad to hear it," she responded as her voice returned to normal. "I thought you would be different."

Naomi nodded once. "So is bringing monsters to life all you can do?" she asked. She couldn't help but feel curious, despite all the warnings going off in her brain.

"I wish sometimes," Elodie replied grimly. "I can also read auras and have visions about the past, present, and future."

"For real?"

"Yup. Believe me: it's no picnic."

"Why not?" Naomi asked.

Elodie smiled again, pleased by her curiosity. "It just makes things complicated. These powers do have their perks, as you saw last night, but seeing the future and seeing other people's auras the way I can also tends to a burden. It's been getting better, though, because I'm learning how to control them more."

Naomi frowned. She didn't like the sound of this girl being able to read people's hearts and emotions; that made her feel more vulnerable then she ever cared for. Elodie, sensing Naomi's uneasiness, quickly changed the subject.

"Did you really sleep on flour sacks all night?" she asked, looking to the pile in the corner.

"Yeah."

"Do you sleep here every night?"

"What's it to you?"

Elodie stared at Naomi for a moment before she understood. "Oh, I see. You're a wanderer."

"I repeat: What's it to you?" Naomi snapped.

"Nothing. It's just... haven't you ever tried to find a permanent home? Or at least a place with a decent bed?"

Naomi snorted. "Tell me where I can find a place like that, and I'll consider it."

"Actually," Elodie smiled, "I have plenty of room where I'm staying."

Naomi gave a start; that was the last thing she had expected. "Oh yeah? And where might that be?"

"There's an old, abandoned apartment complex a few miles from here. I'm living there with a few of my friends; we have some orphans staying with us, but there are still plenty of empty rooms you could choose from. We have electricity and everything."

Naomi's eyebrows traveled further and further up her brow with every word Elodie spoke. "You're seriously offering to let me live with you?"

"Why not?" Elodie asked, spreading her hands out. "Like I said: We've got lots of room. And besides, you did save my life; it's the least I can do."

Naomi stared at the psychic for the longest time, as if she was wondering just what planet the girl had come from. Then she shook her head and spoke coldly, "I think I'll pass."

Naomi stalked past Elodie and out into the open street. The sun had fully risen now, and the warmth seemed to embrace the girl as she stepped out of the shadows. She had only barely started walking, however, when Elodie appeared at her side.

"Will you just leave me alone?" Naomi snapped angrily.

"But why did you decline my invitation?" Elodie persisted.

"Oh, gee, I don't know," replied Naomi sarcastically. "What are your freaky soul-reading powers telling you?"

"I'll tell you if you answer my question."

"I just did."

"That wasn't an answer. That was you trying to get out of answering."

"That has to be the smartest thing you've said all morning."

Elodie sighed. Had she really given Crow as much trouble as Naomi was giving her? She was starting to feel sorry for what she had put Crow through. "Look, Naomi," she continued moving to block her path. "You don't trust people. I get that. But can't you at least give me a chance? I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need any help, thank you very much."

"Now that's a big lie."

"Ugh!" Naomi cried in frustration. "Why should I give you a chance at anything? I don't even know you!"

"That didn't stop you from saving me last night," Elodie returned.

Naomi was silent. She moved forward to walk around Elodie again, but the psychic merely started walking backwards in front of her, staying right in her path.

"I gotcha there, didn't I?" she pointed out smartly. "Why did you save me last night if you didn't even know me?"

"Ya really wanna know?" Naomi shot at her. "It was because you jumped right over my head while you were running last night. When I saw you were being chased, my conscience got the better of me. So if you want to thank someone, thank Jiminy Cricket!"

"Elodie couldn't help but smile at the Disney reference. "Sorry, Pinocchio, but that was all you. Despite everything you've been through, you really do have some goodness left in you."

Naomi came to an abrupt halt, staring at the girl in front of her. "What the deck is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean," Elodie replied grimly, folding her arms across her chest. "Your heart isn't completely stone-cold. After everything you've been through, you really do still know how to care. And that's why you saved me."

Naomi's eyes shot poisonous darts as she glared furiously at the psychic, her hands on her hips. "What do you know about my past?" she demanded.

"Absolutely nothing," Elodie answered simply. "And I'm not asking you to tell me your whole life story. But I can feel in your heart exactly what you have suffered, and that's enough to tell me that we both come from similar backgrounds. I just want you to know that I understand how you feel, and I want to help."

Naomi snarled fiercely, turned on her heel, and stalked away, yelling back over her shoulder, "Don't tell me you understand! I barely even know you! you have NO IDEA what I've been through!"

"Yes, actually I do!" Elodie called, jogging to keep up with the other girl. "You've been betrayed by people who were close to you; you've lost people you cared deeply about. You've been hunted and persecuted for things beyond your control; you know the pain of going hungry, of being left in the cold, of having no one by your side when everything goes wrong. You know how it feels to have the whole world against you."

Naomi stopped in her tracks. Every word Elodie had spoken felt like a punch in the gut. No one had ever pinpointed her feelings so accurately, let alone put them into words for her to hear. She turned and looked into Elodie's serene, resolute hazel eyes and saw the truth and emotion in them.

"But you want to know the difference between you and me?" Elodie continued. "You, Naomi, haven't had anyone to show you that there is still good in the world. You haven't had a friend bring you back to the light or teach you how to trust again. Believe me, Naomi, I know how it feels to be trapped in a world of cold suspicion and distrust. It's like a prison; you want to see the light, but you don't have anyone to guide you to it, and no matter how hard you try to escape, you can't do it on you own."

Elodie held up one of her fists to show Naomi the blackbird charm bracelet on her wrist. "This was given to me just a few months ago by someone who helped free me from that prison. He taught me how to fly again and let me tell you: There's no better feeling in the world. After all the betrayal and loss and cruelty I have suffered, I thought I was hopeless. I thought no one could be trusted and that I had to take on the world alone. But one person made a difference in my life and showed me the truth: Anything is possible when you have good friends by your side. You just have to be willing to believe that it's worth the risk of betrayal." Elodie smiled. "You've already seen how stubborn I am, Naomi. If I can learn to put my trust in others again, then hope for you is far from lost."

Naomi stared stonily at the girl before her. She could see the truth in her eyes and hear the sincerity in her voice, and part of her was dying to believe what she was saying. But another part of her reminded her of everything that had happened to her, everything she had lost, everything she couldn't get back...

"So what?" she asked bitterly. "Are you saying you're going to be the one to 'bring me to the light' and 'show me how to trust again?' Good luck with that!"

Elodie stared at her passively for a moment... then she headed back down the street, walking away from the smaller girl. Naomi watched her as she stopped a few yards away and turned back. "Come on," Elodie spoke, beckoning Naomi toward her. "There are some things I want to show you."

Naomi stayed rooted to the spot on the concrete. "What sort of things?"

"If you won't believe my story, then I'm going to show it to you. I want you to see it all for yourself."

Naomi snorted. "Give me one good reason why I should go anywhere with you!"

Elodie merely raised an eyebrow at her. "Why? You got something better to do?"

Naomi opened her mouth to retort, and then closed it again. Without another word, Elodie turned and kept walking.

Naomi stared after her, arguing with herself over what to do. Part of her wanted to turn around and forget everything that had just happened, but the Jiminy Cricket part of her was telling her to follow Elodie. What might she learn, what might she discover, if she went with her? Could everything she had said be true? Strangely enough, Naomi found herself thinking that Elodie was right. There was something about the light in her eyes and how confidently she had spoken to her that made the Satellite girl think that she might be different from everyone else she had met. It was obvious she knew what she was talking about; in fact, Elodie Kumari really reminded her of another teen, a boy with raven hair and shocking sapphire eyes, who had tried to convince her of the same thing Elodie was speaking of...

Making up her mind, Naomi took off at a jog to catch up to Elodie and fell in step beside her. "Fine," Naomi stated. "I'll come with you. But that doesn't mean I trust you."

Elodie nodded. "That's fine by me."

Naomi had no idea where they were going or what she would learn, but she did know that she would regret not taking this chance. She had to know for herself. She had to find the truth. And if Elodie believed she could give Naomi that, then she decided she could take the risk.

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><p>FS93: WOW. I'm glad I proofread this... So many typos! *Facepalms*<p>

EK94: Okay, so we know we haven't quite gotten to the plot yet, but, hey, it's only the second chapter for one thing! For another, you have to get to know the charas in case you haven't read our other stories involving them.

FS93: Which also means that you're gonna have to hang with us for a bit to see any action. I promise it'll be worth it. The next few chapters aren't quite as interesting as when all the kidnapping, and blowing things *ahdfoiewkndkgiwei*

EK94: *Clamps hand over Star's mouth* WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ? YOU'RE GOING TO RUIN THE STORY FOR THEM! ! *Coughs* Ahem. Please review^^


	3. Chapter 3 Journey to the Past, Part 1

FS93: *Munches on granola bar* Oh, hey! You're back! Sorry Elodie isn't here, but she had jazz band practice after school. So, it's just me. And my music. ...And this granola bar... Anyway, this is the first of a few slow, uneventful chapters. Hang with us though, it gets more exciting in a couple of chapters! Thanks for coming back, and for the reviews on the previous chapter! We love reviews, hehe! ^^

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: Journey to the Past - The Orphanage<strong>

"I was born here in the Satellite," Elodie started as she and Naomi walked through the streets. "My parents were killed in the Zero Reverse accident that split Satellite from the City before I was even a year old. I have no clue how I survived when they didn't, but here I am."

Naomi silently followed Elodie as they turned a corner, and the two girls found themselves in front of an old, wooden building.

"This is where my story begins," Elodie said, gesturing to the house as they approached it. "I spent the earliest years of my childhood here, in this orphanage. Again, I have no clue how I wound up here. I'm guessing someone found me and brought me to safety after Zero Reverse."

A flash of movement caught Naomi's eye, and she zoomed her focus in on one of the front windows as a curtain fell back. She caught sight of a tiny face as it vanished from behind the glass. Only a few seconds later, the front door burst open, and a small group of children, along with two teenage girls, came running out of the house and down the porch steps.

"ELODIE!" the children cried as they rushed toward the two visitors. Elodie knelt down and held her arms out to them, laughing and smiling, greeting each of the kids by name as they surrounded her like baby chicks around a mother hen. Noami hung back aways, surprised by how excited these kids were to see the psychic, unsure of how to react. She watched as the other two girls approached the group: one a tall and skinny blonde, the other a rather plump brunette, both smiling widely. Elodie stood and greeted them enthusiastically, laughing and hugging them as they exchange a few pleasantries. They seemed to be old friends.

'Elodie thought her life was hard?' Naomi thought skeptically. 'She has no_ idea_ what the word means!'

"Elodie, who's this?" the blonde girl asked, looking pleasantly at Naomi over Elodie's shoulder. Elodie turned and smiled, beckoning Naomi toward them.

"This is a new friend of mine. I bumped into her last night, and I thought she would like to meet you guys."

'You thought wrong!' Naomi thought coldly, glaring at Elodie out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh, that's lovely," Blondie said with a polite smile, extending her hand. "Well, my name is Rachel."

"And I'm Sabrina," the brunette chimed in.

Naomi shook both girls' hands without smiling. "Naomi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Naomi," said Rachel pleasantly before turning back to Elodie. "So what brings you both here this morning?"

"Oh, we're just passing by," replied Elodie with a small shrug. "I thought we would drop by and say hello."

"We haven't seen you in for-EVER!" a little boy exclaimed, clinging onto Elodie's arm. "We missed you!"

Elodie laughed. "It's only been a couple of days since I was last here, Hal. But I missed you guys too."

Naomi turned away, feeling a little angry at Elodie. Had she brought her here just to show her how much better she had it? What was her deal?

But as she turned, Naomi found a little girl staring curiously up at her. She was a tiny little thing, couldn't have been older than six or seven, with curly blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a small, round face. She was dressed in a lacy blue flower-print dress with white stockings and black buckle shoes. Naomi thought she looked like a porcelain doll brought to life.

"Naomi is a really pretty name," the girl chirped a little shyly.

"Um... thanks," Naomi muttered awkwardly. She tried to give the girl a smile, but she thought it might have turned out to be more like a grimace.

"My name is Chisaki," the girl said.

Naomi's smile softened a little. "Chisaki. 'A thousand blossoms'."

"Uh-huh. Nana says I was named that 'cause I was born in spring. Your name means 'honest and beautiful', right?"

Naomi blinked in surprise. "Yeah. I suppose it does."

"I bet you were named that 'cause you're so pretty," Chisaki told her with a smile. "And I'll bet you're honest, too."

Naomi stared at the girl in shocked amazement. Her voice was tiny and squeaky, like that of a mouse, but the things she was saying made her sound much more intelligent than her years. Her eyes shone with innocence and curiosity, and Naomi couldn't help but feel almost envious of the girl; what wouldn't she give to be like that again!

"Will you two be joining us for breakfast?" Sabrina suddenly asked, bringing Naomi's attention back to the group.

"Oh, yes!" the children cried. "Please stay with us!"

"Well, I don't know," Elodie said uncertainly. "We have a lot to do today..."

"Pleeeaaase?" begged Hal, still pulling on Elodie's arm. "C'mon, Elodie, can't you stay with us for just a little while?"

"Yeah!" Chisaki agreed. She pulled at one of Naomi's gloves. "Please, Naomi, say you and Elodie can stay."

"I..." Noami found herself caught without words. She had not expected such a warm welcome from complete strangers, and she wasn't sure she was comfortable about eating with these people.

"Well, Naomi?" Elodie said, turning to her. "I guess it's up to you. What do you think?"

Naomi glared at the psychic; she was leaving the decision to her? How kind of her - _not!_ Naomi looked from her, to Rachel and Sabrina, to the children, and, last of all, to Chisaki. Then she sighed.

"I guess a small breakfast wouldn't hurt," she muttered.

"Yaaaay!" the children cheered, and the next thing Naomi knew, she, Elodie, Rachel, and Sabrina were all being ushered inside, the kids pulling at their arms and talking excitedly. They were herded into the kitchen, and Naomi saw an old woman and another girl cooking pancakes, eggs and bacon. A brutish, rather ugly teen boy was setting a large dining table in the adjoining room.

The other girl, whom Naomi now noticed was Hispanic, turned, saw her and Elodie, and gasped. "Oh my goodness! Elodie!" she cried enthusiastically, dropping her spatula on the counter and running over to them. "Nana, Elodie is here!"

Elodie and the girl embraced tightly, laughing and smiling, and the old woman, Nana, turned away from the stove. With a slight shock, Naomi realized she was blind.

"Hi, Nana!" Elodie cried, pulling herself away from the Hispanic girl and rushing into the woman's open arms. "It's good to see you!"

"And you, my dear Elodie Melody," Nana replied with a heart-warming smile, her voice deep and rich. "It's been so long!"

"It's only been a couple of days, Nana. I've been busy," Elodie said apologetically, pulling back to look into the face of her foster mother. Nana couldn't look Elodie directly in the eye, but she gazed warmly into her face and patted her cheek a little clumsily.

The brute boy chose that moment to come into the kitchen. "You still working on that bridge with your three guy-friends then?" he asked Elodie.

"Of course she is, Patrick," the Hispanic girl snapped irritably. "The construction has been going on for almost a month now!"

"It's okay, Chanel," Elodie said to her before turning to the boy. "And, yes, Patrick, we are still working on the bridge. We're almost done with the main road, in fact. We should reach New Domino's shore in a couple weeks, and then we're planning on having a bunch of smaller runways connecting the main bridge to other areas of the city and Satellite. There's even going to be some Turbo Dueling lanes and-"

"_You_ are helping build the bridge?" Naomi blurted out, staring wide-eyed at Elodie. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Well, yeah," replied Elodie nonchalantly. "My friends and I designed it, or helped to, anyway. That's why that gang was after me last night; they wanted to discontinue the construction."

Nana's sightless, alarmed gaze snapped onto Elodie. "What was that, Elodie?"

Elodie suddenly looked a little sheepish, like she had said too much. "Nothing, Nana. It was nothing."

"Elodie Jean Kumari," Nana said in a clear, loud voice, "were you chased by a duel gang _again?_"

Naomi gave the psychic a rather perplexed look. Again? Just how often did duel gangs come after this girl?

"Don't worry about it, Nana," Elodie hurriedly said in a calming voice, as though trying to avoid a scolding. "It wasn't anything I've never dealt with before." She turned to smile at Naomi. "Although, they would have caught me, if it wasn't for my friend here."

"Really, Elodie, why is it that there is always someone after you? Your luck is going to run out one of these days!" Nana sighed. Then she added, "Who is this friend of yours?"

Elodie took Nana's hand and pulled her toward Naomi. "Nana, I would like you to meet Naomi Mori. Naomi, this is my foster mother and my other childhood friends, Chanel and Patrick."

"You can call me Nana, dear," Nana told Naomi, reaching out and taking both of her hands. "Anyone who is a friend of my Melody is welcome in our family."

"Um, thank you," Naomi said uncertainly, not sure what else she could say without sounding rude. Or really stupid. She glared slightly at Elodie, wondering why the deck she had brought her here. But if Elodie noticed, she didn't acknowledge it. She took in a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes.

"Mm, is that blueberry pancakes I smell?" she asked hopefully, turning towards the stove.

"That's right, chica!" Chanel chirped happily. "My special recipe!"

"You made it just in time," said Rachel, walking over to the cabinets. "I'll get a place set for you and Naomi, Elodie."

"That would be great," Elodie said earnestly. "Thanks, Rach."

"Come on, Naomi," Chisaki squeaked, pulling at Naomi's arm. "You can sit by me!"

"Uh... okay..." was all Naomi could say; she had kept herself isolated from people for so long, she had almost forgotten how it felt to be around other people, or how to talk and act around them. Feeling slightly bemused and perplexed, Naomi found herself being all but pushed into a chair at the table, with Chisaki climbing into the one next to her. Elodie sat on her other side, and Naomi shot her a dark glare.

"You never told me you were one of the people building the bridge," she muttered accusingly.

"It never came up," Elodie whispered back. "And honestly, I thought you knew. Is it really that important to you anyway?"

"No," Nomi shot back. "I don't care about that bridge. In fact, I think it's really stupid!"

Elodie raised an eyebrow. "Aren't those contradicting statements?"

Naomi didn't reply.

"We'll talk about it later," Elodie said before turning her attention to the large plate of blueberry pancakes before her. It was obviously her favorite breakfast. Naomi couldn't blame her, either, as she took a bite; she had to admit they were good pancakes. In fact, everything was good. It was the best breakfast she'd had in a long time.

There was much talk and laughter all around the table as everyone dug in. Nana spoke about how much better the orphanage was getting on now that they had the support and protection of the Public Security Bureau, which explained the grand breakfast. Elodie talked more about the bridge and her friends, though the only name Naomi heard was Crow, as Chanel teased Elodie about liking him, to which Elodie denied. Noami listened quietly, though the others tried to include her in the conversation, and she thought the name rang a bell, but she didn't dwell on it; she was busy wondering why Elodie had said she had been through the same pain as she. Elodie had obviously lived a wonderful childhood with these wonderful people, and the longer Naomi stayed, the more confused and annoyed she got.

At long last, Elodie swallowed the last bite of her fourth pancake and set her fork down.

"Thank you very much for the breakfast, Nana," she said as she and Naomi got to their feet. "It was delicious. But we really do need to be on our way now."

The children all groaned and pleaded for them to stay, but when Elodie firmly said they had other places they needed to be, they were complacent. They were happier when Elodie promised to be back again soon, and they all hugged her good-bye. Naomi received the shock of her life when the children all gathered around her as well.

"Bye, Naomi!" Chisaki peeped from the midst of embracing children, her blue eyes shining as they looked into Naomi's green. "I hope you will come back soon as well!"

"Uh... Naomi said, completely taken aback by their affection. This all felt so entirely alien to her, but at the same time, it was... nice. "We'll see," she finally answered with a slight smile, patting the girl on the head. The way Chisaki beamed at her, one might think Naomi was her best friend.

"It was wonderful to see you again, Elodie," said Nana as she got to her feet and opened her arms to her foster daughter. As Elodie raced into them, Naomi thought she looked rather like a small child running to her mother. She could see that there was a strong mother-daughter bond between the two women. When was the last time she felt something like that? Had she ever felt that?

After releasing Elodie, Nana turned in Naomi's direction - Naomi had no idea how the blind woman knew where she was - and smiled at her just as warmly as she had to Elodie.

"And it was a pleasure to meet you, Naomi," the old woman said. "I do hope we see you again. You're welcome anytime."

"Um, thank you," Naomi replied a little awkwardly before quickly following Elodie out of the kitchen, down the hall, and out the front door.

When the orphanage was out of their sights, Elodie picked up her story from where she'd left off.

"I lived in that orphanage until I was seven," she said quietly. "Then I ran away without looking back."

"You ran away?" Naomi cried incredulously. "Why on Earth would you do that?"

Elodie jerked her thumb back over her shoulder. "Things weren't always the way you say them back there. When I was a child, it wasn't even close to being that wonderful. In fact, most of my childhood was miserable."

"Why? What do you mean?"

Elodie sighed and stopped. She stared off ahead of her, her hazel eyes glazed and misty, like she was staring back through time. "When I was little, I was extremely timid and shy. I was afraid of just about everyone and everything."

"You?" Naomi said with a disbelieving snort. "I highly doubt that."

"It's the truth. And it made me the perfect target for bullies. Actually, I've felt like a huge target most of my life, as you probably saw last night. But anyway, Nana and the girls you met helped me out a bit, and it was bearable for a while... until my psychic abilities came out."

Elodie bowed her head, her bangs swinging over her eyes. "All the other kids became afraid of me. They treated me like an awful disease or monster, like something to be avoided at all costs... well, most of them anyway."

Naomi felt a chill go down her spine at the sound of her tone. That never boded well.

"A few of the boys formed a posse against me, and they did everything they could to make my life hell. I was in a constant state of terror. I could never rest peacefully, for fear that they would attack me again, whether verbally or physically didn't matter. I was... in a vacuum of fear, and I couldn't escape, no matter what I did. I still have some of the scars they left me."

Elodie turned her head and pointed to a pale, thin line that ran along her hairline, in front of her ear. "This is from when one of the boys went knife-happy on me."

Naomi winced a little at the sight of what had once been an apparently deep cut, but when Elodie shrugged off her jacket and turned her back to her, she gasped in horror at how the skin across her shoulder blades and the back of her neck wrinkled and twisted in a painful scar.

"What on Earth did that?" Naomi exclaimed.

"Scalding water," Elodie replied grimly. "Get a cup of it thrown on you, and it's gonna leave a mark. It took more than a month for that to heal. It was one heck-of-a month for a six year old."

Elodie pulled her jacket back on, and then knelt down and took off one of her boots and her sock, showing Naomi a second burn that covered her heel, the bottom of her foot and the back of her leg.

"This was a present from Patrick, the big brute you met back at the Orphanage. He shoved me into a burning furnace after my back was healed. I couldn't walk for another month," she added a little sourly.

"Patrick did that?" Naomi cried. "But... I don't understand! You were just talking to him like you were old friends! And... he did this to you?"

"I learned to forgive and forget," Elodie replied simply as she pulled her sock and boot back on. She looked back up at Naomi and continued, "Believe me, it took me a while to forgive him and the others - it took years for me to get even close- and it was even longer before we got on good terms. But life goes on, and it's too short to hold grudges. It was a relief to finally have closure."

"But closure isn't always possible," Naomi argued bitterly as Elodie got to her feet. "There are some things that are impossible to forgive."

"Like what?" Elodie asked sharply, her gaze suddenly seeming to pierce Naomi's soul. "What do you mean?"

Naomi looked away, unable to keep that x-ray-like stare. "Nothing."

"You meant something," Elodie insisted. "What did someone do to you that was unforgivable?"

Naomi stubbornly didn't reply. Neither girl spoke for what felt like an eternity. Elodie locked onto her eyes, and though Naomi tried, she could not look away again. There was an unnerving, x-ray-like quality in the almost hypnotic blend of green and brown as the psychic stared into the smaller girl's eyes, trying to find the meaning of the pain in her heart. It was seriously starting to freak Naomi out.

Elodie, realizing Naomi wasn't going to give her anything more, finally averted her eyes. Naomi felt her taunt muscles relax slightly and she breathed out heavily, relieved to be released from the psychic's hold, but she didn't dare let her guard down. She watched Elodie suspiciously as the latter walked away a ways, down the street until she was in the middle on the intersection.

Elodie stopped and turned back to Naomi, spreading her arms out to gesture to the streets around her. "After I left, the streets of Satellite became my home... of sorts. I lived much as you do now; sleeping on whatever space I could find, wandering around with no where to go. I tried to find someone to take me in, but every time I thought I had found friends who would take care of me, and a home I could live in, I was tossed out like a misbehaving pet. No one who took me in actually cared about me; they had heard there was a psychic out on the streets, and were only thinking of how they could use to me their advantage. When they discovered how helpless and scared I really was, they didn't want anything to do with me anymore. Many of the rougher ones even tried to kill me."

Naomi stared at her. "Is that what you meant when you told your Nana that what happened last night was 'nothing you've never dealt with before'?"

Elodie lowered her hands and nodded. "That was exactly what I meant. I lived out in the streets for five long years. One gets tired of being repeatedly stabbed in the back for that long of a time period, you know. I eventually grew to fear and mistrust all people, and I did everything in my power to stay away from them. But they kept coming for me. Duel gangs would chase me and hunt me down like a dog, much like you saw last night. There were times I got away, and times I didn't. But that whole five years, no one tried to help me or save me. I had no friends. I was scared and helpless and alone, and for a child living on the streets in Satellite, that was incredibly dangerous."

Naomi knew that was true. She'd been in her share of street chases and rumbles with gangs, and she knew just how nasty things could get in Satellite. But, until recently, she'd had friends who would help her and protect her when she needed them. Elodie hadn't had that luxury, and for the first time, Naomi felt truly sorry for the psychic.

"Don't feel sorry," Elodie said softly, sensing what Naomi was feeling. "There was nothing you could have done, and those days are well behind me. I've learned to accept the past and learn from what happened to me, and now, thanks to my friends and the lessons they've taught me, I've never been better."

Naomi frowned. "I don't get it. If so many people hurt you, how were you able to make friends?"

"It wasn't easy," Elodie replied. Then she smiled. "But that'll all come later."

Turning around and gesturing to Naomi to follow, Elodie said, "Come on. There's another place I want to show you. No people here this time, I promise."

As the mysterious girl walked away, Naomi bit back her questions and followed her, continuing their journey through Elodie's past.


	4. Chapter 4 Journey to the Past, Part 2

FS93: *Sweat drop* Please don't kill me...  
>EK94: ...<br>FS93: I know I was supposed to have this up eons ago, but I kinda got busy  
>EK94: ...<br>FS93: and then I kinda forgot about it...  
>EK94: ...<br>FS93: Please say something...  
>EK94: ... I hold no responsiblilty of this taking so darn long. It's her fault.<br>FS93: Uhm... Enjoy?

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: Journey to the Past - The Warehouse by the Bay<strong>

Naomi followed Elodie through the labyrinth of streets. She realized they were heading towards the sea when the breeze picked up and she smelled salt on the air. They came out of the dark streets, and Naomi found herself on the rocky shores of the bay, foamy water lapping at the rocks and throwing spray into the air. She could see the city directly across the water, sparkling like millions of gems in the sunlight. Looking down the beach, the saw a large, dilapidated building standing near the water, and assumed that was their destination.

"It's been a long time since I've been back here," Elodie whispered, staring at the building.

"What is this place?" Naomi asked.

"This was the home of an old friend of mine. I met him five years after I ran away from the orphanage. He was a loner, like I was, but he was much different than I. He saw how desperate my situation was, and he was determined to be my friend. To this day, I'm not sure what made him take pity on me when no one else did."

Elodie chuckled softly, her mind swirling with memories. "He chased me around for a week, trying to convince to give him a chance. I was still afraid he would betray me, but I eventually got sick of him pestering me and came here with him."

Elodie and Naomi had reached the front door of what the latter now saw was an old warehouse. Naomi followed Elodie inside, staring around curiously as she was lead through the building. The smell of decaying wood and sea brine was thick in the stale air, and the place looked as though it hadn't been touched for a couple years.

"You lived in this old dump?" Naomi stated wrinkling her nose. "With a guy?"

Elodie laughed at her tone. "It wasn't this bad back then. But, yeah, I did. For two years."

"Two years?"

"Yup. The boy's name was Kalin. He was my best friend - after I learned to trust him. He taught me how to duel and fight, and he showed me that there was still some good in Satellite. With Kalin, I was able to let go of some of me fear and gain self-confidence. He made me stronger than I had ever hoped to be. He taught me to believe in myself and in my deck. He even helped me control my powers. This choker around my neck was a gift from him. It's specially wired to help me stabilize my powers. He took a terrified, helpless, hopeless girl and turned her into a fighter. We had many great duels together, Kalin and I. He was the miracle I had futilely hoped for, for years."

"But what happened?" Naomi asked. "I mean, obviously you don't live here anymore so something must have happened..."

Elodie stopped in front of a door and reached for the handle. Turning it, she opened the door and stepped through. Naomi followed and found herself in what only could have been a boy's bedroom. The bed, which was no more than an old mattress on the floor, still bore a moldy blanket and a moth-eaten pillow, unkempt and messy. Old copies of comics and maps and such were scattered across a tabletop; the closet stood open with a few items of clothing left in it. Elodie approached the table, and Naomi was unable to see her face as she sifted through the papers.

"I ran away," Elodie finally muttered in answer to Naomi's question. "Again."

"Why?"

Elodie picked up what looked like an old photograph. "I was scared. I had become to close to Kalin; I knew it would probably kill me if he left me. At the moment, I thought the only solution was to leave before he had the chance to. It was selfish and cowardly, I know, and I regret it very much."

Naomi could tell. Elodie's tone was miserable and guilt-ridden, and the way her shoulders slumped forward told Naomi she still felt the full weight of what she had done. Looking over Elodie's shoulder, Naomi saw the picture was of a brunette girl with a red jacket and hazel eyes sitting on the beach next to a tall, lanky boy with long-ish icy-blue hair, pale skin, and eyes like molten gold. Both of the kids in the picture looked to be in their early to mid-teens, and they were smiling at the camera as Kalin snapped the photo. Naomi couldn't help but notice how close Kalin sat to Elodie, how his arm was casually wrapped around her waist, how much the two of them looked like a couple...

"He loved you," Naomi realized, looking over at Elodie. The psychic's eyes showed unbelievable pain and remorse as she gazed at the photo and, at Naomi's comment, she bowed her head miserably, closing her eyes. That was the equivalent of a 'yes' in Naomi's book. "Did you love him?" she asked.

Elodie sighed, dropping the photo back on the table and pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't know what I felt, Naomi. I was only sixteen. I could feel Kalin's affection for me, and there were times I thought I felt the same. But I didn't know what it was; I didn't know what love was. It scared me, Naomi. I was confused and frightened. I was still in too much pain from my past to be willing to get that deep in with someone. I was afraid the attachment I felt to him would turn out to be my own undoing. So I broke the connection. I ran away, but this time, there were many times I looked back. There are times I still think I'm looking back, even now, after all of these years..."

Elodie dropped into a chair near the table, her elbows resting on the wood and her hand covering her face. Naomi watched the psychic take a deep, shuddering breath, trying to compose herself. Naomi was at a total loss for words; she had no way to relate to Elodie in this instance, for she had never really felt romantically for anyone. But she was shocked to see that Elodie was still in so much pain from what happened, and despite her suspicions, she wished for some way to ease the hurt.

"Did you ever see him again?" Naomi asked quietly.

Elodie raised her head, looking out a nearby window with glazed, pain-filled eyes. "Not until just recently," she answered in a slightly choked voice. "A while after I left, he found some other guys - the same guys who are now my best friends, ironically enough - and formed a gang with them. But this gang was fighting to free Satellite and make the streets safe for everyone, not the other way around."

Elodie shoved a large piece of folded paper toward Naomi, who picked it up and unfolded it. The paper was a map of Satellite, she realized, but the different districts were colored over with black marker.

"One by one, Kalin and his gang took down all the duel gangs in each of the districts," Elodie explained. "But Kalin didn't want to stop there. Freeing Satellite was his dream, and his very soul was dedicated to complete domination through dueling. It became an obsession for him. The rest of the gang left, hoping he would get a grip on himself if he was left alone. They were wrong."

Naomi felt cold dread shudder through her at the psychic's words. She could tell by the way Elodie spoke and how her hands shook that something bad was coming.

"It was about a year after I'd left," Elodie continued, closing her eyes again and covering her face with her hand. "I was there, the night he went overboard. I had a vision of what he was about to do, and I went out to stop him. But... I was too late."

"What did he do?" Naomi asked , her voice almost a whisper.

Elodie looked at her through her fingers. "He went after Sector Security."

Naomi gasped. "He tried to take them out? by himself?"

Elodie closed her eyes again and nodded. "He planted a bomb in their tower and tried to blast them out of Satellite. When they went after him, he fought back with everything he had. He severely injured one officer. And he... he killed another."

Elodie slumped forward, the weight of the memory still crushing her. "I was there just in time to see Security drag him away, kicking and screaming. His friends were there too; like me they had tried to stop him from what he was doing. They never knew I was there, though. There was nothing I could do. I could only watch as he was carted off to the Facility.

Naomi felt as though she had been kicked in the stomach; she knew exactly how Elodie felt. She too had been forced to watch as security took her brother and closest and friends away. But unlike Elodie's friend, they had done nothing so drastically wrong, and they had been handed over by one they thought had been a friend...

"I was nothing less than torture," Elodie whispered, "to think about what had happened to the boy whom I had once called my best friend. I could feel everything he was going through in the Facility because of my powers. The worst part was the guilt I felt. I know I had broken his heart when I left, and I though that was part of the reason he went mad. It was even worse when he died."

Naomi stared at Elodie in horror, her heart dropping into her stomach. She knew how it felt to lose a friend to death, as well. The night her brother had been taken, her best friend had been shot, trying to escape. She had died right before Naomi's eyes. "He's dead?"

Naomi was shocked when Elodie gave a humorless chuckle.

"Actually," she said, "no, he isn't. I talked to him a bout a month ago, before he left Satellite for good."

Now Naomi was extremely confused. "You've lost me."

"He was dead, but dark forces brought him back," Elodie tried to explain. "His anger and desire for revenge allowed him to be reborn in the shadows."

Naomi blinked. "Still lost."

Elodie's lips twitched slightly. "I'll explain in more detail later, I promise."

Elodie leaned back in the chair, but sat up again when she felt something draped over the back of it. She picked up a brown, leather jacket with thin strips of fur lining the seams. It must have belonged to Kalin, Naomi realized. Elodie hugged the jacket close to her and sighed softly, and Naomi though she saw a tear escape from beneath her eyelids.

"So... What happened when you saw him again?" Naomi asked a little timidly. She was curious, but she didn't want to make Elodie feel more pain than she already did. To her dismay, Elodie cringed and winced, the expression on her face equivalent to one who had been stabbed.

"I... I'm sorry, I would rather not talk about that."

"That's okay," Naomi spoke quickly. "I understand."

Elodie set the jacket down in her lap and looked Naomi in the eye again. "You do understand," she stated. "You understand a lot more than I though you would. You've felt most of what I have been through, haven't you?"

The x-ray thing was back on, and Naomi found it even harder to resist those eyes. She found herself torn between wanting to keep her past a secret and sharing it with someone who had felt much the same way.

"You don't have to tell me everything yet," Elodie suddenly spoke softly. "Just know that I'm trying to help you because I really do know how you feel. That's why I'm telling you all of this."

Still holding the jacket, Elodie stood and moved toward the doorway. "I'm sure you're tired of hearing my sob stories, Naomi." She stood with a small attempt to lighten the mood. "The rest of my story is a bit happier, I promise."

Elodie looked over her shoulder at Naomi and smiled. "So follow me, Naomi. I hope you like kids."

* * *

><p>Both: Please review!<br>EK94: Maybe it'll keep her from forgetting...


	5. Chapter 5 Journey to the Past, Part 3

FS93: See, look! I didn't forget this time!  
>EK94: I'm sure they're all thrilled that they didn't have to wait five months for another update when we wrote this, what? Two years ago?<br>FS93: ...Something like that...  
>Both: Enjoy!<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five: Journey to the past – The Apartment<strong>

The first thing Naomi heard as she and Elodie approached the apartment complex was the joyous, ringing sound of children laughing. Before entering the yard, Elodie turned to Naomi and said, "A little while after I left Kalin, I found this abandoned apartment complex and made it my permanent home. I started working and earning some money, and life started improving. At least I was doing something with it. I lived alone for a few weeks, but then I met my kids."

When they turned into the yard, the two girls were met with the sight of eight kids playing without a care in the world. Naomi was surprised by how many of them there were: two pre-teen boys alike enough to be brothers were playing a heated game of King of the Deck, three younger girls were jumping rope, and three boys were rough housing in a game that seemed to involve imaginary laser guns and monsters. Naomi looked over at Elodie and saw the psychic's face positively glowing at the sight of the children.

A red-haired girl wearing a green sweatshirt and twirling the rope was the first to see Elodie and Naomi coming. "Elodie's back!" the girl cried, dropping the rope and running towards them. The other children sounded equally enthusiastic cried and followed the girl's lead, dropping everything they were doing as Elodie knelt down with her arms open to admit them, a broad smile on her face.

"Hey, kids!" she laughed as she somehow embraced all eight of the children at once without falling over from the force of their hug. "How's your day been? You all being good?"

"Have we ever not been?" asked a girl with a pink shirt, denim overalls, and auburn hair in pigtail-braids.

Elodie chuckled and patted the girl's head. "No, Cari, I guess you haven't, thank goodness!"

"Who's this?" a boy with red hair and freckles asked, looking up at Naomi with happy curiosity. He wore a Nike t-shirt and jeans covered in grass stains, and he looked to be about six years old.

"Kids, this is my new friend, Naomi. Naomi, this is Danny, Cari, Jennie, Bobby, Xander, Luka, Joey, and Tristan."

"Hi, Naomi!" the children chorused together.

"Hey, everyone," Naomi couldn't help but reply with a smile. These kids were just about the biggest bunch of misfits she'd ever seen; that was what made them all so cute. No wonder Elodie loved them so much. It was just like back at the orphanage.

"You're really pretty," said a girl with black hair and a purple hooded shirt. Elodie had introduced her as Luka.

"Why are you dressed all in black?" asked Bobby, a wiry little boy with messy, tawny hair. The boy was very colorful in a bright red shirt and a yellow jacket that sported three horizontal stripes across the front, each one a different color. "It's a depressing color."

"Bobby, don't be rude!" an older boy, who was wearing just as much black as Naomi was, scolded, the frown on his deeply tanned face creating a crease between his brown eyes.

"What? It's true, and you're proof, Xander!"

"I like your hat!" Danny, the red-haired boy, jumped in brightly.

Naomi wore an expression of perplexed amusement at all the attention she was getting. Only the red-haired girl stayed quiet, Naomi noticed; she was staring up at her with an unnerving look, similar to Elodie's X-ray thing, in her jade-green eyes. Naomi if the girl, Jennie, was also a psychic.

"So," Elodie spoke up, freeing Naomi from the children's almost overwhelming attention, "have the guys left yet?"

"Yeah, they left after breakfast," said the oldest boy, a blonde-haired and brown-eyed preteen named Joey, in what sounded like a Manhattan accent. "Crow wanted us to tell you to give him a call when you got back. He was worried when you weren't here this morning."

"I told him that you were fine and looking for your friend," Jennie said in a slightly exasperated tone, "but he insisted. He was worried that the gang would come after you again."

"I'll call him when we get inside. Have you guys had lunch yet?"

At the children's exclamations of hunger, Elodie and Naomi lead the way into the apartment to prepare them some lunch. Naomi even helped fix the sandwiches for the children. Though she still held her suspicions and doubts about the psychic, she was starting to feel more familiar with her. Learning about her past and how similar it was to her own had given her a connection to the psychic. It greatly reminded her of a certain raven-haired someone she had met a couple of years ago...

While the children ate their lunch – Naomi was shocked it was already lunch time – Elodie excused herself to call Crow. Stepping into the living room with her cell phone, she hit the speed dial and patiently waited for Crow to answer, which he did after just two rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Crow, it's Elodie. The kids said you were worried about me."

"Well, yeah, I was! You totally disappeared this morning."

"Sorry, Crow, but it was important."

There was a short pause on the other end of the line filled with the background noises of drills, hammers, and other construction tools. Crow was obviously at the sight of the bridge.

"Was it about that Naomi girl from last night?" he asked, his tone more serious.

Elodie looked back towards the kitchen, where Naomi was chatting with the children, obviously getting more and more comfortable with each passing minute. "You know me too, well. Yeah, I left to go look for her. I found her, too. She's actually here at the apartment right now."

"Really? Wow, how did that happen?"

"It's a long story," Elodie replied. "How's the bridge coming?"

"Great! We're making a lot of progress! It would go a lot faster if you were here, though. It helps to have all four of us together."

"I know. I'm sorry, Crow, but there's still something really important I have to finish here. I'll probably stop by sometime this afternoon."

"What are you up to, El?" Crow asked. Before Elodie could reply, however, Crow figured it out for himself. "Are you trying to help Naomi like Yusei tried to do?"

"Yes, Crow. More than what Yusei tried, I'm trying to help her like the way you helped me. I know I can get through to her, and I can't give up until I do. You've taught me that much."

Suddenly, Elodie heard Jack yelling in the background, "Crow! Get off the phone and get your tail over here! We've got a bridge to finish, in case you haven't noticed!"

"Hold your feathers, Jack!" Crow shouted back. "I'll be there in a sec'!" When he spoke again, it was to Elodie. "Alright, El, do what you gotta do. We'll be alright over here, we've got it covered."

"Thanks a million, Crow," Elodie smiled. "And sorry for making you worry."

"Ah, we weren't really worried; we knew you would take care of yourself. Just leave a note or something next time, please."

"Crow!" Jack yelled.

"Alright, alright, I'm comin'! Sorry, Elodie, I'd better get going before Jack has a conniption fit."

Elodie laughed. "I'll whip him into shape when I stop by. See you later, Crow."

"T-T-Y-L!" Crow sang, making Elodie laughed again before hanging up. Elodie closed her phone and returned to the kitchen still smiling.

"Someone looks happy," Joey commented, waggling his eyebrows at his guardian. "You must've been talking to Crow!"

He sugar-coated Crow's name and batted his eyelashes in a very good imitation of a bashful maiden, making everyone but Elodie laugh."

"Oh, quit it, Joey," Elodie said, blushing slightly. "You know he's just a friend."

"Yeah," said Tristan with a smirk, "just like Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine were 'just friends'."

"It's okay that you like Crow, Elodie," said Jennie in a very matter-of-fact voice. "You two are perfect for each other. I mean, you have so much in common, and he did save your life. You two are a match made in heaven."

"And you both like kids!" added Cari excitedly. "You two would be a perfect mommy and daddy!"

"Okay, I think you guys had better go outside for a while!" Elodie quickly said, her face burning brighter red than her jacket as Naomi burst out laughing. "Go enjoy the nice weather!'

Still laughing, the children got up and headed out of the kitchen at Elodie's urgent ushering. Jennie stopped at the back of the group and turned back, approaching Naomi.

"Miss Naomi?"

"Yes?" Naomi asked, watching the girls a little cautiously.

"You're a lot like Elodie," the little girl stated in her matter-of-fact tone, like she was reading right out of a text book. "You've both been through a lot of bad things, and bad people have hurt you. But Crow helped Elodie be happy again. Now she's trying to do the same for you."

Naomi's jaw dropped as Jennie continued with a pleading look in her eyes, resting a hand on her arm, "Please, Naomi, listen to what Elodie is trying to tell you. She knows what she's talking about; she's been through it all. And I want you to be happy like she is."

Naomi stared into the girl's green eyes, completely speechless. She looked to Elodie, who was now washing dishes at the sink, for help, but the psychic merely looked apathetic and half-shrugged.

"Um... I'll try," Naomi managed to reply, hoping that these words would satisfy. Jennie smiled sweetly at her before turning and skipping out of the kitchen, her flaming hair bouncing behind her. Elodie continued washing dishes as though nothing had happened, but Naomi continued o stare after the red-head as they heard the front door shut.

"Is Jennie a psychic?" Naomi asked.

"Yep," Elodie replied lightly. "She can read minds."

"Does she do that a lot?"

"What, read minds?"

"No, that... whatever is was she just did."

"Oh, that. Yeah, she kind of does."

"Oh... it's kind of unnerving."

"A little bit," Elodie said, and Naomi turned to see her smiling. "I love her to death, though."

Shaking her head slightly, Naomi started helping Elodie with the dishes. "So what's your story about those kids?" she asked.

Elodie smiled softly. "They are all orphans from the street, just like I was, and like me, they were alone, frightened, and in need of a friend. I met them all one-by-one, or in cases like Joey and Tristan, and Danny and Jennie, in pairs. I decided to take responsibility for them and teach them how to survive and duel just as Kalin had done for me. But in truth, they're the ones who saved me, not the other way around. Looking after them and protecting them gave me a new purpose. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. I owe them more than even they know, but they're too young to understand it yet."

"They all really look up to you," said Naomi. "I saw how their eyes lit up when you came into the yard. They absolutely adore you."

Elodie's eyes sparkled as she replied, "I've been taking care of them and protecting them at the very best of my ability. I've try really hard to be their friend and guardian."

Naomi couldn't help but smile at the psychic. "Well, you're doing an awesome job."

"Thank you, Naomi," said Elodie with a grin.

The two girls continued washing dishes in silence, and Naomi considered what she had learned of Elodie so far. It all seemed pretty legitimate to her, and she had seen the proof that this wasn't all a hoax to get her to trust her. Elodie had really felt and experienced all of this stuff; she really could relate to Naomi. 'But that doesn't mean she's trustworthy,' Naomi thought cautiously. 'I should hear the rest of the story before I decide whether or not to trust her.'

"So how do your other friends come into all of this?" Naomi inquired.

Elodie smiled again, but this smile was different; it was full of tenderness and joy, but also a hint of secrecy, like she was trying to hold back an emotion that couldn't be shared. "It all started with Crow. I only met him about a month ago, but it feels like I've known him for years. Jennie was being chased by a duel gang and he helped me save her."

"Jennie said he saved your life."

"He did. More than once, in fact, and in more than one pretense.

"The first time was when I first met him. I was dueling the leader of the gang who had attacked Jennie, and I got a little bit... carried away. I ended up doing a bit of real damage, and the wall behind me almost crashed down on top of me. I would have been killed if Crow hadn't pushed me out of the way. After that, he and his group of orphans, whom he calls his nest, escorted me and Jennie back here. I was injured in the near-accident, and he helped patch me up. There was just something about him that told me he was different. He was incredibly kind, he really got along with the kids, and he had this... infectious warmth and light in him. He loved life despite his hardships, and he made the most of what he had. It was completely alien to a negative pessimist like me," she chuckled.

"Then..." Elodie shook her head in silent amazement. "I don't know how it happened. It still completely amazes me. But the next thing I knew, we were talking about philosophies of life – we were actually kind of arguing – and somehow, I ended up spilling my guts to him and telling him my whole life story... I am still completely amazed at how easily he tore down my walls and got me to open up to him, even when I had barely known him for an hour. No one had done what Crow did since Kalin, but it was totally unlike what Kalin had done. Crow completely changed me that day.

"But then, of course, things went really screwy."

"What do you mean?" Naomi asked.

They were done with the dishes. Elodie wiped her hands dry on a dish towel and said, "C'mon upstairs and I'll show you."

Curious and a little anxious, Naomi followed Elodie up the stairs to her bedroom. Elodie walked across the room to her desk and picked up a picture frame.

"Crow saw this," she said, handing Naomi the picture. Naomi took it and saw another photo of Elodie and Kalin. Then she understood.

"Crow was a member of Kalin's gang."

"Exactly," Elodie confirmed. Naomi looked up to see a dark look enter the psychic's eyes. "That was also the day I found out Kalin was actually alive."

"I still don't get it," said Naomi, setting the picture down on the bed. "How did anger and revenge bring him back from the dead? When people die, they stay dead; if there is anything I know it's that!"

Elodie bit her lip, unsure of how to explain. After thinking for a moment, she started, "What do you remember of that huge fiasco we had about a month ago? The people disappearing and the purple flames and such?"

Naomi shuddered. "More than I want to. I think I was one of the people who disappeared. I was wandering around one night when the ground suddenly started shaking and walls of purple fire shot up out of the ground around me. I'd seen it before in New Domino City and all over the news, and I'd heard about the people disappearing in the fire and black fog. When I realized it was happening again, I tried to escape, but then this giant black spider appeared, and the next thing I knew, I was trapped in crushing darkness, full of shadows and monsters... I still have nightmares about it."

Elodie nodded, her eyes still dark and furious. "So do my kids. They were taken by the fog right before my eyes. A fluke accident was the only thing that saved me from the same fate... Anyway, the giant spider you saw was a duel monster called an Earthbound Immortal. It was being controlled by a man named Roman, and he was a Dark Signer."

"A Dark Signer?"

"Servants of the King of the Netherworld, the place you and all the other people who disappeared where trapped in. The Earthbound Immortals can only be summoned by having human spirits sacrificed to them."

"What?"

"Yeah," said Elodie grimly. "And a Dark Signer is created when a person dies with anger or a desire for revenge in their heart."

"And Kalin was the perfect candidate," Naomi realized.

Elodie nodded. An echo of the pain from what had happened to her ex-boyfriend was visible in her eyes as she gazed out the window, lost in memories.

"So what did the Dark Signers want?" Naomi asked. "Why were they using Earthbound Immortals and all that?"

"They basically wanted to bring about the end of the world. Using the Earthbound Immortals and their dark powers, they planned to bring the King of the Netherworld back to Earth to destroy everything, wipe out the entire world and rebuild it under their control.

"But first, they had to defeat the Crimson Dragon."

Naomi frowned. "The Crimson what-now? Wait, wasn't that that big, red, flying thingy that appeared during the Fortune Cup?"

"That would be it. There are five Signers to the Crimson Dragon, just as there were Dark Signers to the King of the Netherworld."

"Why are they called Signers?"

"Each Signer bears a red mark on his or her arm, and the marks resemble the different parts of the Crimson Dragon: the head, the tail, the wings, and two of the claws make five in all. The Dark Signers also had marks, but theirs represented their Earthbound Immortals."

"So," Naomi said, trying to keep up, "the good Signers, the Crimson Dragon guys, had to defeat the Dark Signers to stop them from destroying the planet."

"In a nutshell, yes. Two of Crow's friends - the other two members of the Enforcers, incidentally - were Signers, which was how Crow was able to explain this all to me. He even became a Signer himself after he helped fight in the last battle again Goodwin."

"And Kalin was a Dark Signer," Naomi concluded.

Elodie looked away, her eyes hard and distant. "Yeah. You can imagine my shock when I found all this out."

Naomi herself was shocked. She too knew how it felt to have a close friend go to the dark side after being thought dead. She knew how that felt EXACTLY.

"It was even worse when I saw Kalin that very night," Elodie continued in a low murmur.

"Say what?" Naomi exclaimed.

"Kalin was after me. He told me he had become a Dark Signer so I could be with him again. He managed to trick me into leaving the others and lured me right into his arms. He wanted to make me a Dark Signer too."

"Say WHAT?"

Elodie lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes. "It almost worked, too. He had me completely under his spell."

Naomi blinked in shock. Her own returned-from-the-dead-traitor had tried to convince her to join him as well. If there were any more parallels to their stories, Naomi was going to be convinced that she had entered the Twilight zone.

"But then," Elodie continued, "Crow showed up and saved me – again."

"Whoa," Naomi breathed, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.

Elodie looked up, her eyes turned to the window. "That was when I realized I really could trust Crow. I fought against the Dark Signers with him and the other Signers. Obviously, we won, since we're alive and the Earth isn't a ball of ash."

"But... then what happened to Kalin?"

"After the King of the Netherworld was defeated, he and the other Dark Signers came back just as they were before they had died and been reborn. Kalin realized what he had done, and he still feels terribly guilty about everything. We tried to convince him he was forgiven and that all was well, but..."

Elodie trailed off, unable to continue. Naomi got the jist of what happened. She sat down on the edge of Elodie's bed, letting everything she had learned sink in. Normally, she would have scoffed and said the whole thing was absolutely inconceivable and impossible. But she had seen the Netherworld for herself; that was something she could never deny.

"Wow," was all Naomi could think to say. "That's... insane!"

"You can say that again," Elodie agreed, plopping down on the bed next to Naomi with a loud huff.

Naomi grinned. "That's insane!'

The two girls exchanged a look and then burst out laughing, shattering the tense, depressing milieu of the room. Everything suddenly seemed to look much brighter.

"That's funny," Elodie said through her laughter. "Crow would have done that exact same thing, were he here."

"He sounds like a swell guy," Naomi commented.

"He is! Oh, Naomi, I couldn't have asked for a better friend than him."

"No kidding," replied Naomi with a cheeky grin. "No wonder you're in love with him."

"Hey, now!" Elodie exclaimed, her expression such that made Naomi burst out laughing again. "I am NOT in love with Crow! He's just a friend!"

"Ya know no one's buying that, right?" Naomi hiccupped, trying to control her laughter. "Don't tell me he isn't your Knight in Shining Armor or whatever after he saved your life all those times!"

Elodie scrunched up her face in disgust. "Please don't compare him to a fairy tale; I don't do the whole damsel-in-distress role."

"Amen to that!" Naomi exclaimed. The two girls laughed again, and Elodie was delighted at how well things were going. They were finally hitting it off!

"So, random question," Naomi spoke after they had finally stopped laughing. "Why the deck do you have a piano in your bedroom?"

Elodie laughed. "I have a bit of an addiction to music, I guess. It's one of the few ways I know how to really express myself. I suck at talking about my feelings, but there's this old saying that goes, 'When words fail, music speaks'."

"I know exactly what you mean!" Naomi said with a smile. Another thing that they had in common! Were they long-lost sisters or something?

Elodie grinned at her before continuing, "I've been playing piano ever since my days in the orphanage. The kids really enjoy hearing me play, and it's kind of a positive release for me."

"And you play guitar, too?" Naomi asked, nodding at the nearby guitar that sat in its stand.

"I just recently picked that up. I was teaching myself to play it before, but now Crow is giving me lessons. He is an amazing guitarist."

Elodie got up and moved to the piano bench. "Would you like to hear a song?"

"Sure," Naomi replied. Elodie smiled and turned to face the keys. She thought for a moment, choosing a song, and when she had picked one she thought would be suitable, she rested her fingers lightly on the keys, counted out the beat, and began to play and sing:

"Tick tock, hear the clock count down  
>I wish the minute hand could be rewound<br>So much to do, and so much I need to say  
>Will tomorrow be too late?"<p>

Naomi recognized the song immediately: it was one of her favorites, one that always gave her a bit of hope when she listened to it. How had Elodie known?"

Naomi moved to the piano and sat down on the bench nest to Elodie as she continued singing and playing. Naomi was shocked to see that the psychic's eyes were closed as she played. Elodie was letting the music flow through her fingers and voice like an ocean current, endless and perfect, her body moving with the rhythm, the song becoming an extension of her being.

"Time passes by  
>I never thought I'd end up<br>One step behind  
>Now I've made my mind up..."<p>

Naomi joined her voice in with Elodie's at the chorus:

"Today, I'm gonna try a little harder  
>Gonna make every minute last longer<br>Gonna learn to forgive and forget  
>'Cause we don' have long, gonna make the most of it<br>Today, I'm gonna love my enemies  
>Reach out to somebody who needs me<br>Make a change, make the world a better place  
>'Cause tomorrow could be one day too late."<p>

Elodie opened he eyes and smiled at Naomi without breaking the song, and the latter saw a brightness in the former's eyes that was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Naomi smiled back, feeling happier than she had in a long time. Could she have finally found a friend she could depend on?

Elodie dropped her voice out and only played the piano part, allowing Naomi to sing solo. The two girls sang and played the whole song, and when it was finished, the last chord hung in the air above them like a steady breath of wind, the music never dying completely. Elodie lowered her hands and the two girls smiled at each other.

"How did you know that was one of my favorite songs?" Naomi inquired.

"Good intuition, I guess," Elodie shrugged.

"Well, I must admit, you've got some major piano skills."

"Thanks, Naomi! And I've gotta say, you're not a bad singer."

"Thanks, Elodie."

The two girls laughed lightly, and Elodie put her fingers back on the keys and started a new song:

"Going through this life  
>Looking for angels<br>People passing by  
>Looking for angels..."<p>

"No!" Naomi cried suddenly, jumping away from the piano. She felt every nerve in her body shuddering like she had been electrocuted by the sound of that familiar song, and the old wound on her heart felt like it had been ripped open and was bleeding afresh. Elodie instantly stopped playing, looking alarmed and confused.

"What's wrong?"

"Just... don't play that song," Naomi demanded in a shaky voice. "Anything but that song!"

"But," Elodie said with a deep frown, "you love that song. It means something to you."

"I... I did love that song once, but... but not anymore!"

"Why? What happened to make you stop loving it?"

"I... it's none of your business!" Naomi snapped. "Just because you told me all about your past doesn't mean I have to give you mine!"

"I never said you had to," Elodie said calmly. "I was just asked what happened to make you hate a song that once meant a lot to you."

Naomi scoffed and turned away, old anger and bitterness pouring salt over her wounds. "I found out that the song lies, that's what happened. There are no angles to look for; not in this city of devils."

Silence. Then the creak of wood and bedsprings, and Naomi looked back to see Elodie standing before her, her gaze sad but firm.

"That," she said in a low voice, "is absolutely and completely untrue. Believe me, Naomi, I once thought the same way you did. But I've found angels in places I never thought I could." She pointed at the picture lying on her mattress. "Kalin was my angel, no matter how he turned out in the end." Her finger moved to the window. "Those kids out there are all my little angels." She twisted her wrist around to show Naomi the little black bird charm on her bracelet. "And Crow... he is the greatest angel of them all. It's when you stop looking for them that angels appear, Naomi."

"But angels fall!" Naomi argued, and though she tried to keep it steady, her voice was shaking. "They are shot down, their wings ripped off, and they are taken away, never to be seen again! Or they go to the dark side, and horns outgrow their halos. You of all people should know this, Elodie! Look at Kalin!"

"I don't make an example out of Kalin anymore, Naomi, and you shouldn't either! Kalin was just one person! Yes, he made a great impression on me at the beginning, and he ended up making some bad choices, but not everyone is going to fall the way he did."

"But why even take the risk?" Naomi demanded.

"Because, Naomi, sometimes it's worth it!"

Naomi gritted her teeth and snarled fiercely, turning her back on Elodie. "I don't need to hear this."

"Yes, you do! If you didn't, then why did you follow me here? You could've easily walked away from this at anytime you wanted. But you stayed. You stayed! And you listened. Why?"

Naomi didn't answer. Elodie had struck a very good point, and she wasn't sure how to respond to it.

"I'll tell you why," Elodie declared softly. "Because, deep down inside, you really want to believe what I'm saying. You don't want to be alone and in the dark anymore. Deep down, you want to believe angels still exist. And they do! I know you know this, Naomi, because I'm not the first person to reach out to you, am I?"

Naomi whirled around, her eyes wide and suspicious. 'What is that supposed to mean? What do you know?"

"I know enough. Someone before you must have gotten to you," Elodie countered. "Why else would you even consider my message? I also know that it's never too late to change. I mean, look at me! My whole life, I thought I was a lost cause. I thought I was worthless, drifting through space with other people buffeting me this way and that, with no control over what direction I was going. I let the opinions and judgments of others control who I was and what I did, and even though I thought I was strong, I was just trying to cover the gaping hole in my heart. But angels came out of the blue and filled that hole for me, and now I have purpose! The kids, the bridge, my friends..."

Elodie took a deep breath and looked right into Naomi's eyes. "Look, Naomi, I don't know who you've lost or who has betrayed you, but you shouldn't let those bad experiences erase all hopes of feeling love and friendship again! That was what I let happen to me until I met Crow, and if there is anything I regret it's not realizing my mistake sooner. If Crow hadn't come into my life, I would still be lost. But he gave me wings to fly, and all I want to do is give you and others the chance to be as happy as I am now, and follow his example. If things can turn out alright for a psychic street girl like me, then why can't it for anyone else? Why can't it for you?"

Naomi was silent. Her mind was conflicted and confused, and she couldn't think of anything to say. Elodie's words were filling her mind, blocking out everything else. Could what she was saying be true? Could she really start again, after everything that had happened to her? After everyone she had lost? Had she really lost herself along with them?

"I know what it's like to feel as though the world's against you, Naomi," Elodie continued softly. "No one should ever have to go through that, at least not alone. That's why I'm trying to help you and be your friend. That's why I'm building the bridge to the city. I want everyone who has ever been lost or hurt to have a new chance at life just like the chance I was given. I want everyone to feel the love and life that I feel. I want to put an end to the suffering, or at least stem the flow. It may seem impossible, but I believe that the people of Satellite can make a change, and I intend to give them the chance to."

Before Naomi could think of a reply, Elodie started walking towards the door. "C'mon. We have one more place to visit. I want to show you the Daedalus Bridge."

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><p>EK94: Ya know, this might be the last update I'm around for...<br>FS93: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! NO! ! I FORBID IT! ! ! YOU CAN'T LEAVE FOR COLLEGE SO SOON! ! ! ! ! !  
>EK94: *Sigh* How many times do we have to go over this?<br>FS93: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !  
>EK94: Please review. And, oh yeah, neither of us owns the songs mentioned... They both belong to Skillet.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6 The Daedalus Bridge

EK94: Okay, so I lied; I'm here for one more...  
>FS93: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !<br>EK94: But, as you can see, Star here, is still in pieces...  
>FS94: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !<br>EK94: So, enjoy this update 'cause you won't being getting another for some time. Mostly 'cause I want my notebook back...

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><p><strong>Chapter Six - The Daedalus Bridge<strong>

The noise of the construction beat on Naomi's eardrums like a thousand hammers as she and Elodie approached the bridge. The structure was massive, made out of heavy steal and stone, stretching out over the bay like a giant reaching arm. There were bulldozers and cranes and construction workers all over the place wearing hard hats, goggles, gloves, and other protective clothing. Elodie picked up two pairs of goggles and a couple of hats for herself and Naomi before entering the construction site. Naomi cringed slightly at the loudness of it all, but Elodie walked as if she did this every day, which she did, Naomi had to remind herself.

"This is only the main bridge," Elodie yelled over the noise. "After we complete it, we'll build lots of connecting runways and lanes to other areas of both the City and Satellite. There will also be turbo dueling lanes, so people can turbo duel whenever they want."

Elodie and Naomi came to the foot of the bridge and approached two men who seemed to be in a serious discussion. One was wearing a Sector Security uniform and runner helmet with small keen gray eyes and a scar on one cheek. The second man seemed to be a lot younger than the first, only a couple of years older than Naomi herself, and he had blond hair with shocking violet eyes set in a stern, self-important face.

"Jack! Trudge!" Elodie called to the two men.

"There you are, Elodie!" the blond boy said in a sharp Australian accent. "We've been wondering where you disappeared to. Who's your friend?"

"Naomi Mori," Elodie introduced. "She's the girl who saved my butt yesterday. Naomi, this is Jack Atlas and Officer Trudge."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mori," Trudge spoke politely. Naomi narrowed her eyes at him; she didn't trust Sector Security Officers.

"It's been a while since we've seen you around, Trudge, since you were transferred to the City," Elodie commented. "What are you doing on this side of the bay?"

"Just making sure everything is safe and sound over," Trudge replied in a grim, bass voice. "We've been getting reports about some of the officers on this end getting restless and irritable and not doing their duties."

Elodie seemed to find this news very unsettling. "Is it about the Bridge?"

"Afraid so. Not all of them are happy with it. In fact some of them are totally against it and think the construction should be shut down."

"They can't shut us down!" Jack proclaimed indignantly. "We've come so far already!"

"You don't think there would be and uprising in Security, do you?" Elodie asked, her tone almost fearful.

"I don't know," Trudge sighed, shaking his head. "It's been getting pretty bad. But we're taking the necessary precautions to make sure the Bridge remains safe."

"Why do people not want it built?" Naomi inquired.

"'Cause some of the rich fat-cats in the City don't think us Satellite Scum should be mixed with their kind," Jack scowled. "They like the separation because they think there is something wrong with us, like we're nothing but a bunch of thieves and outcasts."

"That's a bit ironic, coming from you," Trudge commented. Jack growled and shot the man a venomous stare.

"That's why people need this bridge, Naomi," Elodie spoke, changing the subject before Jack took Trudge's head off. "We need a chance to show the City we're normal people with dreams and goals, just like they are. We couldn't let them degrade us anymore. The bridge will give us the chance we need."

"It's becoming dangerous, though," Trudge stated morbidly. "The Security Bureau is talking about halting the construction for a while, just until things cool off a bit, and people are more comfortable with the idea."

"No!" cried Elodie. "They can't do that!"

"But you've seen for yourself just how bad it's getting. Jack was just telling be about that gang last night."

"We knew before we even started building that there was going to be opposition. We can't let it stop us! Not when we're so close!"

"Elodie's right," Jack agreed. "I can't believe I actually just said that, but what will people think if we stop the construction just because a few bone-heads like living in a cage?"

Naomi listened to the conversation in quiet amazement. It was surprising just how dedicated these people were to building the bridge. Maybe it wasn't as ridiculous as she had previously though. 'No," she thought sadly. 'It doesn't matter if this bridge is ever finished our not, people will never change so we'll always be scum to the rest of the world.'

"There are people in Satellite depending on us to give them the freedom they deserve," Elodie pointed out, her eyes resolute and bright. "And dog-gone-it, I'm gonna do everything I can to give them that freedom, even it if kills me!"

"Alright, alright!" Trudge exclaimed, waving his hands in submission. "I get the idea! I'd better get going then. But first, Elodie, I wanted to talk to you."

"What about, Trudge?"

Trudge looked down at the psychic through his helmet visor. "Crow gave me a call yesterday. He said you've been having nightmares that might concern what's happening at the bridge. And I'm assuming by how you reacted at my mention of a possible rebellion that he's right."

"He is," Jack huffed. "Her room is right next to mine, and I can always hear her mumbling in her sleep."

Elodie glared at the blonde before saying to Trudge, "Well, I have been having nightmares lately, but I don't know that they have anything to do with the bridge."

"Can you tell me what is happening in those dreams? Just in case they're visions of whatever?"

Elodie frowned. "I wouldn't base everything off of my messed-up dreams, Trudge. But... well, the dreams usually involve running. A lot of running in darkness. There are a lot of flashing lights and engine noises too, and shouting. And... and gunfire."

"Gunfire?" Trudge echoed in a worried voice. "Stun blasters or actual guns?"

"Both, I'm afraid."

"Do you know why you're running?"

"I... think we're running from something but also towards something. It's really confusing and chaotic."

"Is there anyone you know in the dream?"

"Mostly the guys. But there aren't a lot of other faces I recognize."

Naomi's eyes narrowed again when she swore she saw Elodie's gaze flicker over to her. 'Could I be in this dream too?' she wondered.

"Are there any other patterns in your dreams?" Trudge inquired.

Elodie thought for a moment and then she nodded. "Yeah. It always ends in red. I don't know what it means, but I always see red at the end."

Trudge and Jack exchanged concerned looks.

"This sounds pretty serious to me," commented Jack with a deep frown. "I'll deal with it," Elodie snapped finally. "We can't let that stop us from building! We have to finish this!"

"And we will, Elodie," said Trudge calmly. "Don't worry about that. Just keep a wary eye out for trouble and take precautions."

"We will, Trudge," nodded Jack. Trudge gave his farewell and left, muttering to himself about tightening security and other police-sounding things. As he zoomed toward the security tower on his runner, Elodie turned to Jack.

"Where are the others? I haven't seen them in a while."

"They're over on the end of the bridge, preparing it to meet New Domino's shores. We should have it finished within the next couple of weeks."

"That's great!" Elodie grinned, pumping her fist. "We've just got to hold on until then!"

Jack glance at Naomi. "So what did you bring her for? Is she another volunteer?"

"Hardly," Naomi snorted. Jack's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I've just been showing her around, Jack," Elodie stepped in hastily. "I wanted her to see what we were doing here."

"Hmph," Jack huffed. "Whatever, Elodie. Now, how about we get back to work, hm?"

"Not right now. I was just stopping by to see how things were going."

"Ya know, it's kind of hard to build a bridge when one of the designers isn't even here!"

"I'm sorry, Jack, but this is important. Ask Crow; he'll explain it to you."

Jack sighed irritably. "Whatever," he repeated before turning on his heel and stalking off, barking orders at nearby groups of workers.

"Nice guy," Naomi commented sarcastically.

"Don't mind him. He can really be an arrogant jerk most of the time, but he's as loyal of a friend as you'll ever find when he wants to be." Elodie turned and waved for Naomi to follow. "There's something else I want to show you."

Naomi followed Elodie to the edge of the construction site. Just outside the caution tape, Naomi beheld a large group of roughly-made picket signs with painted phrases written on them. They all said things like, "Thank You For Giving Us A Chance," "Long Live the Daedalus Bridge!" and "We Want Freedom" among others.

"Those signs were made by people in the Satellite who support the bridge," Elodie explained as Naomi stared, speechless. "You see, Naomi? People need to be free. You're not the only one who's been feeling helpless and alone."

"I've never felt helpless," Naomi snapped. "I never needed anyone's help. I don't need anyone else but me, and I've gotten along just fine alone!"

"You keep telling yourself that," Elodie spoke, her eyes boring into Naomi's soul. "But do you really believe it?"

Naomi had no reply.


	7. Chapter 7 You're Under Arrest!

FS93: Hey look! I have my laptop back! Virus free!  
>EK94: (Sarcasticly) She's not at all excited...<br>FS93: If any of you happen to know my brother-in-law, Paul, then thank him. He fixed it for me! ...And you're in Utah.  
>EK94: Welcome to the 21st century, my friend. This is the Internet's doing.<br>FS93: ...

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven – You're Under Arrest!<strong>

Dusk was falling once again over Satellite. Naomi and Elodie walked quietly through the shadow-filled streets. They had left the bridge quite a while ago, and Naomi thought their time of parting was near. Thank Yami for it, too – she was sick of the psychic and her cryptic words and unbearable truths. She just wanted to get away from her.

"So, Naomi," Elodie finally spoke again, breaking the silence. "What do you think?"

Naomi scoffed. "I think that was the biggest waste of a day ever."

Elodie stopped and turned to the girl, her expression solemn and serious. "You don't mean that. You're not going to forget what you learned today, Naomi. One day, you will thank me."

"I'm sure," Naomi snorted.

Elodie gave Naomi one last, sad look before sighing deeply and turning away to leave. Naomi turned on her heel and headed in the opposite direction, but, as she did, she couldn't help but feel guilty and conflicted. She shouldn't have been so harsh – no matter her feelings on the subject. Elodie had only been trying to help, after all.

'But I don't need her,' Naomi thought stubbornly. 'I don't need anyone. I learned a long time ago that the only one I can depend on is myself. I don't need any so-called friends.'

But then why did she feel so alone?

Naomi sighed and shook the feeling out of her mind. It didn't matter now, anyway. Chances were that she would never see Elodie Kumari again. She might as well forget it all happened and move on with her miserable life. It was over.

Or so she thought.

Just then a startled cry of pain split the night air. Naomi whirled around in alarm. Elodie was out of sight, but that cry had definitely been hers.

"Elodie?" Naomi called, taking a few steps back the way she'd come. There was no reply. Naomi tried to push away her growing anxiety, but the then she thought about what Trudge had said, and the gang form the night, and Elodie's dreams…

Naomi took off after her.

"Elodie!" Naomi cried when she rounded a corner and found the psychic on her knees in the street, clutching her head. Naomi ran toward her and knelt in front of her, concern written all over her face. "Elodie, what's wrong?"

Elodie couldn't reply. She was gasping in pain, her whole body shaking. Naomi had never seen Elodie have a vision, so she had no idea what was happening to her or what to do. Suddenly, Elodie's head jerked up, and Naomi saw her eyes glowing bright amber.

"Crow!" Elodie shrieked, her eyes wide with fear as they returned to hazel.

"What's wrong?" Naomi asked again, trying to swallow her own growing panic. "Elodie, what just happened?"

Elodie blinked in surprise. "Naomi?"

"I heard you cry out. What was wrong with you just now? Was that a vision? 'Cause, really, that was creepy…"

Elodie leapt to her feet. "Crow's in trouble. I think Trudge was right about that rebellion he was talking about. Crow's being arrested right now!"

Naomi felt as though a stone had been dropped in her stomach. Images of her past flitted through her mind, memories of her best friend and brother being forced into a police car, her other best friend being shot as one officer took his helmet off and smiled guiltlessly…

"I'm coming with you."

Elodie narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Naomi as the latter got to her feet. "Why do you want to come? I thought I was a waste of you time. I thought you didn't trust me."

"I don't," Naomi replied coolly. "But I know how it feels to have your best friend arrested. You can count me in."

"Understanding dawned in Elodie's eyes, and she nodded. "Alright, then, come on! We have to hurry!"

So Naomi and Elodie took off through the streets, running as fast as their legs could carry them. Elodie used her powers to keep track of where Crow was, her heart pounding against her ribs as she ran, the adrenaline pumping anger and terror through her veins. 'Not Crow,' she thought. 'Please, not Crow. If I lost him, I don't know what I would do…'

The two girls heard Crow before they saw him. "Let GO of me! What the deck do you think you're doin'? I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Get in the car, Hogan!" another voice ordered. "You're under arrest!"

"STOP!" Elodie yelled as she and Naomi sprinted around the corner. Crow was pinned to the side of a white Security car, lights flashing, with his hands handcuffed behind his back, surrounded by three Sector Security Officers.

"Elodie!" Crow cried in surprise, his grey eyes wide, his face stark white against his spikey, orange hair. The three officers turned as Elodie approached them, her eyes glowing again and her expression livid.

"Who are you?" the officer just behind Crow demanded. By the symbol on his jacket, he was obviously a captain.

"_I'll _be the one asking the questions here, captain!" Elodie snarled, getting into the man's face. "By what authority are you arresting this man?"

"What's it to you?" the captain demanded. "Move along, girl. This has nothing to do with – hey!"

Elodie had grabbed the front of his shirt and swung him around so his back smacked against the car door. She was virtually nose-to-nose with him as Crow and Naomi winced, and the other two officers stepped forward to intervene.

"You'd better watch your tongue, copper!" Elodie snarled. "I have friends in very high places, like in the Security Bureau, and they are at least three times your rank! Now I demand by the right of Habeas Corpus* to know who ordered the arrest of this man and what the charges are!"

"Uh, Elodie," Crow warned, "maybe you should tone it down a notch or two –."

"Shut up, Crow," Elodie advised, still glaring daggers at the furious captain. "I'm trying to save your butt!"

"Uh, captain?" one of the other officers spoke, holding up a hand-held profiler. "You might wanna take a look at this."

The captain pushed Elodie roughly away from him and stepped over to the officer's side, taking the profiler and reading it. As he did, a small smirk spread across his lips. "Ah, I see," he murmured. "That changes things."

Suddenly, he lowered the profiler and pointed at Elodie. "She's one of them! Arrest her!"

"NO!" Crow yelled as the third officer moved to attack Elodie. Pushing himself off the car, Crow rammed his shoulder into the officer's body and shoved him away from his friend. "Elodie, get out of here!" he ordered. "NOW!"

"But what about you?" Elodie cried, her voice cracking with fear.

"Don't worry about me!" he called back still struggling with the officer. "Just _go, _and warn the others! I'll be fine!"

"C'mon, Elodie!" Naomi cried, grabbing Elodie's hand and dragging her away. The captain was already calling on his radio for backup as the other two officers took off in pursuit. Elodie threw Crow one last panicked look before tearing off down the street after Naomi.

"Don't let them get away!" the captain yelled behind them.

"We've gotta lose them!" Naomi growled as she and Elodie raced through the streets, the two officers hot on their trail.

Elodie had already taken out her cell phone and had hit the one of the speed dials. The call was answered after the first ring.

"Hello?" came Yusei's quiet baritone voice.

"It's Elodie! You've got to get Jack and the kids and get away from the apartment, ASAP!"

"Why?" Yusei asked, his voice alarmed. "Elodie, what's wrong?"

"Sector Security's turned against us! I just saw them arrest Crow, and they're coming after me now! You guys have to get away; I'm sure they'll come after you too! Take the kids to Martha's, then you and Jack get the h-e-double-toothpicks OUT of there!"

"Alright," Yusei replied. He knew things had to be serious when Elodie Kumari started cursing, even if it was slightly indirectly. "Call me once you lose the cops."

"Got it," Elodie said shortly before snapping her phone shut.

"Where do we go?" Naomi called over shoulder.

"I've got an idea! Follow me!"

The two officers were still on the chase as Elodie took the lead, racing through the maze-like streets she knew so well. But the men were older than and not as fast as the two teens, so they soon started lagging behind. Elodie and Naomi disappeared around a corner and, by the time the cops had reached it, their quarry was out of sight.

"Where did they go?" one of them shouted. They had reached a fork in the road, and they had no way of knowing which direction the girls may have taken.

"Split up," the other spoke. "We'll communicate by radio if we find them."

"Copy that," agreed the first cop with a nod, and the two men parted ways. But neither of them would find Elodie and Naomi down there.

"That's the funny thing about Security," Elodie muttered with a sly smile as she and Naomi watched from a nearby rooftop. "They'll look down every ally and around every nook and cranny in Satellite, but they never think to look up."

"That's genius!" Naomi chuckled, backing away from the edge of the flat roof. "So what do we do now?"

"We're going to rescue Crow," Elodie replied firmly, taking her phone out again. "But first, I'd better call –."

Suddenly Elodie gasped and dropped the phone. Her whole body went rigid as her eyes glowed amber once again.

"Elodie?" Naomi's eyes widened.

But as soon as the glowing started, it stopped again, and Elodie's eyes returned to hazel.

"_Darn it_, Jack!" she snarled. "I told you guys to get _away!"_

"What happened?"" Naomi demanded as Elodie picked up her phone and stood. "What did you see?"

"Change of plans," Elodie said through gritted teeth as she and Naomi jumped into the street. "We're going to go to the apartment and save Jack's butt from Security! I swear, if they don't get him, I will KILL him!"

She and Naomi raced off again, this time heading towards the apartment complex. The sound of police sirens was the first thing to greet them as they entered the yard and saw Jack standing on the front steps, his fists clenched and a defiant look in his eyes, surrounded by half a dozen security officers.

"We've got you surrounded, Jack Atlas! Surrender now, or get chock blasted!"

"You punks think you can take Jack Atlas?" Jack demanded, holding up his fists, a determined fire in his violet eyes. "Well, bring it on!"

"Heads up copper!" Elodie yelled as she sprinted forward. One of the cops turned around just in time for Elodie to smash her fist into his face, cracking his visor and making him stumble into the guy next to him. As she jumped onto the steps with, Jack, Naomi leapt from the other side and kicked down another officer.

"Don't just stand there, idiots!" one officer yelled. "Shock 'em!"

The other officers had barely raised their guns when Elodie whipped out a card and slapped in onto her duel disk. "I'll give you a shock! Go, Thunder Unicorn!"

A high-pitched whinny cut through the night air as Elodie summoned a great blue unicorn with a thunder bolt for a horn. The officers cried out in fear as the unicorn tossed its head and reared, letting out another blood-curdling scream, its thunder-bolt horn flashing.

"Go!" Elodie ordered Naomi and Jack. "Inside!"

The two teens did as they were told, and Elodie followed, dead-bolting the door behind her, letting her unicorn hold off Sector Security for a while.

"Get to the kitchen!" Jack cried. "Use the back window!"

Jack, Naomi, and Elodie raced into the kitchen. As Jack threw the window open and helped Naomi out, the officers started shouting and banging on the door.

"Go, go, hurry!" Jack rallied, helping Elodie through the window before jumping through himself. He and the two girls took off running, but one of the officers spotted them.

"There they go!"

"After them!"

"What now?" Naomi called as Security set off in pursuit, some of them on duel runners.

Elodie's mind raced, searching for a solution. Then she cried, "I got another idea! And, Jack you won't like it!"

"Great," Jack grumbled.

Elodie lead them around corners and through dark allies until they reached the edge of Satellite. Naomi realized what she was thinking when she suddenly saw piles of trash and scrap metal towering like mountains over them just beyond a chain-link fence.

"The dump? You were right when you said I wouldn't like it," protested Jack, wrinkling his nose at the smell as Elodie and Naomi both scaled the fence like monkeys.

"Of course!" replied Naomi. "No one knows the dump better than us Satellite street rats!"

"Security will never find us in this place," stated Elodie as the three of them dropped over the fence. "Now come on!"

Jack unwillingly followed the two girls as they delved deeper into the junk yard. The smell was barely bearable, and they were constantly tripping over things in the dark, but their trick had worked. Security tried to follow them, but they were soon lost and scattered amongst the heaps of garbage.

"Over here!" Naomi whispered, pointing out a small gap between two half-crushed cars. Elodie and Jack squeezed through and found themselves in a cave-like space with walls of junk. Naomi stayed out for a while to keep watch.

As Jack sat back with a heavy sigh, Elodie crawled over to him, glaring furiously. "I oughta slug you!" she snarled. "Why didn't you leave with Yusei the kids?"

"I was going to!" Jack snapped back defensively. "But the cops arrived before they all got away, so I stayed back to hold 'em off."

"So where are they now?"

"As far as I know, Yusei took the kids to Martha's. I'm sure they're all safe."

Elodie sat down next to him and sighed, burying her face in her hands. ""I sure hope so."

"What about Crow? Did he get caught?"

"Yeah," Elodie sighed miserably through her fingers. "As far as I know, Security's already hauled him off to the Facility."

Just then Naomi crawled into the small space with them and said, "Security has no idea where we are, but they're still out searching. What the deck are we gonna do?"

"Well," Jack stated, "the first thing we've got to do in save Crow. He need us the most right now."

"But how are we going to do that?" Elodie asked, still talking into her hands.

"You've got your psychic powers, Elodie," he answered, nodding at the duel disk strapped to her arm. "Can't you summon an army of monsters and storm the place all psychic-like?"

Elodie slowly raised her head to give Jack a dark glare. "Jack, you very well know how much using my powers like that drains me. I won't be able to anything if I'm too tired to walk. Summoning Thunder Unicorn back at the apartment was bad enough! I'm still a bit dizzy from it. And even if I could use an army of duel monsters, I wouldn't! A lot of people could get hurt that way, and it would do more harm than good."

"Fine, then," Jack snapped. "We'll have to infiltrate the building and find him."

"How're we supposed to do that?" Naomi asked skeptically. "The only people who can do into the Facility are either prisoners or Security guards."

The three teens sat in silence for a moment, completely stumped and defeated by their situation. Suddenly, Elodie's eyes lit up and a grin spread across her lips. Jack and Naomi could almost visibly see the light bulb turning on in her head.

"Uh-oh," Jack groaned. "I know that look!"

"Do tell, do tell," Naomi encouraged.

"Only Security and prisoners can get into the Facility, eh?" Elodie smirked. "We can arrange that."

"Say what?" Naomi and Jack exclaimed. But Elodie was already looking around her, searching for who-knew-what in the trash heaps surrounding them.

"Ah-ha!" she exclaimed, pulling a tattered, stained overcoat and a pair of farmer's overalls out of a wall of garbage. "These'll work. Ooh!" she cried again as she found an old, wide-brimmed hat. "And this! Naomi, I'll need to borrow your hat."

"What? ! No!" she protested indignantly, crossing her arms protectively over her head. "Find your own stocking cap!"

"Naomi, please, trust me!"

With a heavy sigh, Naomi pulled off her hat and handed it to the psychic. Elodie took it and, flipping her head down, pulled the hat on so every strand of her hair was hidden. Then, to Jack and Naomi's shock, she dug her fingers into the mud beneath their feet and smudged it all over her hands and face. Next she took the wide-brimmed hat and shoved it on over Naomi's stocking cap. After struggling for a couple of minutes in the small space, she managed to pull the overalls on over her jeans and then took off her own red jacket, threw it in Jack's face, and pulled on the overcoat, buttoning it over the overalls.

"Well?" Elodie asked when she was finished, spreading her arms out and smiling at Jack and Naomi. "How do I look?"

Naomi and Jack just stared, mouths agape, wondering if Elodie had completely lost her mind.

"Are you _insane?"_ Jack asked incredulously. "You look like a hermit that just crawled out of the sewer!"

Elodie laughed. "Perfect! Now –."

"Hang on!" Naomi interrupted. "Before you go on with your crazy plan, if I'm going to get involved in this rescue – and you're gonna use my hat – then I have one condition to make."

"What might that be?" Elodie asked with a small frown.

Naomi looked Elodie right in the eye and said, "If I'm going to help you save Crow, then you have to help me save me brother and my best friend."

"Are they prisoners in the Facility?" Jack asked, his eyes wide.

She nodded once. "Yup."

Elodie smiled at Naomi. "You can count on it."

Naomi grinned back. "Alright, then. What's the plan?"

Elodie chuckled softly as she crawled over to the opening. Two men in Security uniforms holding search lights were just about to walk passed the gap. Elodie smiled wickedly and raised her duel disk. "Now we're gotta find a Sector Security uniform that'll fit Jack."

The guards never knew what hit them.


	8. Chapter 8 Infiltration

**Chapter Eight – Infiltration**

Crow had thought he was done with the Facility. But, apparently, the Facility wasn't done with him. He was leaning up against the wall in the holding room to be loaded on a train that would ship him to the prison. Sector Security had stopped putting Criminal Markers on their prisoners since Armstrong was fired, and Crow was very grateful for that; he didn't need any more tattoos on his face. But that small relief did nothing to hinder his anger about the situation he was in. He was positively fuming.

Trudge had warned them that something like this might happen. But Crow could not imagine how Sector Security had gained the authority and power to go against government orders and attack those working on the bridge. Crow himself had personally met and spoken to the new warden and the Security chief of the district, and they had sworn to protect them. Looking around the room, Crow could see several of the construction workers and contractors he had been working with, and he knew that he, Jack, Yusei, and Elodie were Security's chief targets. He could only pray that they all got away, that Elodie had warned them in time and had escaped herself. Knowing Elodie, though, Crow was sure she had had no trouble losing the cops. But also, knowing Elodie, Crow was sure she would come up with some crazy plan to rescue him. He desperately hoped she wouldn't; he never wanted her to see the Facility or risk being stuck here for his sake. He'd been locked up before, and he knew he could deal with it again if he had to, but he didn't want Elodie to see any part of that place.

'Please, Elodie,' he prayed silently in his heart. 'Stay away from here! I'll be fine, just keep the others safe and don't worry about me.'

Crow looked around as the doors opened to reveal a large Security officer bringing in a struggling prisoner.

"Who is this?" one of the door guards asked looking at the prisoner in obvious disgust. Crow didn't exactly blame him; he looked like a hermit that had just crawled out of a sewer. He was dressed in a muddy, grubby coat and pants with a wide-brimmed hat, and Crow would smell him from where he was standing.

"Dunno," the officer said gruffly. "He won't give me a name."

"Darn right, I won't!" the prisoner exclaimed loudly; he had a raspy, almost girlish tenor voice and a think cockney accent and, by the way his words slurred slightly and the way he moved around unsteadily, Crow thought he might me drunk. "I 'old the right ter remain silent!"

"He doesn't look like the type to be working on a bridge," the guard commented.

"He isn't," replied the officer, jerking roughly on the prisoner's arm. "I arrested this scum because he tried to help some other workers escape and sabotage our efforts."

"That's right I did!" the prisoner yelled, making most heads turn. "An' I don't regret it neither! You lot o' traitors and blackguards are tryin' to stop the bridge from bein' finished! We won't allow it, yeh hear? We deserve freedom! Long live the Daedalus Bridge! Give me liberty or give me death, that's what I say!"

"Oh, shut up!" the officer exclaimed, bringing his hand down on the man's head. The prisoner staggered beneath it and rubbed the spot moodily, mumbling incoherently under his breath.

"Have you checked his BAC level at all?" the guard asked skeptically. "He looks like he might be a bit over the legal limit."

"Didn't really think about it," shrugged the officer. "I was more concerned about the quarry he helped to escape. We've got some other guys tracking them down."

"Very well," the guard replied, making a note on his hand-held computer. "We'll ship him off with the rest of the construction workers in about fifteen minutes. Just keep on eye on him."

The officer nodded and roughly pushed the prisoner further into the room. The man stumbled forward, waving his arms drunkenly before regaining balance and glancing around him. Crow watched with pity for the man and gratitude that he had helped their cause.

The hermit seemed to notice Crow watching him, because he ambled over clumsily and dropped to the floor next to him, his back leaning against the wall. Crow tried to smile sympathetically while being careful not to breathe through his nose; seriously, did the guy just do dumpster diving or something?

"So, bird-brain," the man said thickly, raising his head just enough for Crow to see a crooked smile and a pair of intelligent hazel eyes. "What're yeh in fer?"

Crow gasped. "Elo—."

The hermit man – or rather Elodie – silenced his cry by knocking a fist into his knee, causing him to buckle over and gasp in pain.

"Will you shut up?" she whispered furiously, talking in her normal voice. "I'm undercover!"

"What the deck are you doing here?" Crow hissed back, still rubbing his sore knee. "And dressed like a street bum?"

"I'm saving you; what does it look like?" Elodie replied. "And it's called a disguise, smarty-pants!"

"So you go and get yourself arrested?"

"Crow, I wasn't actually arrested."

"Oh, so a Sector Security guard didn't really bring you –." Crow halted his sarcastic comment as his eyes landed on the officer who had brought Elodie here. His already incredulous eyes grew even wider as he noticed the yellow hair poking out from beneath the hat and the arrogant poise of the man in the uniform. "_Jack?"_

"Bingo," Elodie answered with a coy grin.

"But… How did he get a uniform?"

"Well, let's just say there's an unconscious Security officer in his underpants tied up at the dump."

Crow gaped at her. "You didn't."

"Obviously, we did because Jack is here in a uniform. I don't feel bad about it either, since the guy was trying to lock us up for no good reason! Oh, and by the way, Naomi is here, too."

"The girl from last night?"

"Yup. She's gonna break into the Facility's main frame and keep an eye on the cameras for us. And just a heads up: We're going to break her brother and friend out of the Facility, too. It was the only way she would help us."

"That won't work for long. They'll notice something is up."

"That's why we're gonna have to move fast."

Crow slid down the wall to sit on the floor next to her and groaned, rubbing his fingertips against his temple. "Elodie, you really shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you. That's why we're busting you out."

"No! You and Jack and Naomi should be with Yusei and the kids, far away from here! I never want you to see the Facility!"

"A little late for that. Are you saying you want to get chucked back in jail?"

"I'm saying that I don't want _you _chucked in jail! I've been imprisoned before; I know how to handle it –."

"That doesn't mean you should! And you haven't done anything even remotely illegal! I'm not letting you sent to the Facility again, Crow!"

Crow saw the fire in her eyes and knew she wasn't about to budge on her position, but he didn't want to give up just yet. "But what if we all get caught? We won't be able to do anyone any good locked up in the Facility, Elodie."

"We'd better not get caught then, huh?" Elodie returned stubbornly. She glanced around at all of the innocent workers in the room, and as she did, her eyes pulsed amber and her fists clenched. "I just can't believe this," she growled, her voice shaking in fury. "The indignity of it all! All of these innocent people hunted and imprisoned for trying to make this city a better place for everyone to live…"

"I know what you mean," Crow muttered, his own anger rekindling. "It's infuriating."

"I don't understand how this happened! We met with the warden and the Security chief over the Satellite District, and they swore to protect us!"

"Maybe they lied."

"I don't think so. I think someone overthrew them or attacked them."

"Are you talking, like, a coup?"

"Something like that," Elodie replied darkly. "All I know is that I smell a rat. Someone's tipped the balance here; I can sense it in the other guards. Most of them are all for what's happening, but there are a few who are still uncomfortable with it, and they feel like they have no choice."

"So we find this rat and get him to back down," Crow mused. "But how do we do that?"

"Let's just focus on getting you and the other two guys out of here. Then we can work that out with the others."

Elodie pulled her hat back down over her eyes and struggled to her feet, trying to keep the pretense of a raging, drunken street man. "I'd better leave you alone, Crow. It'll look suspicious if I'm talking to you too much. Just sit tight and wait for the signal. Then just play along with what Jack and I do."

"What's the signal?"

"You'll know it when you see it," Elodie replied with a sly smile before stumbling away, muttering drunkenly under her breath in a cockney accent.

* * *

><p>"So this is how a hamster feels," Naomi thought bitterly as she crawled through the ventilation ducts in the Facility. She could not believe she was here or even that she had agreed to this in the first place. The only things that kept her from turning right around and going back were thoughts of her brother, Ryan, and her best friend, Alex, locked up somewhere in this cursed building.<p>

The scariest part of this whole ordeal was when she rode on the back of Elodie's Midnight Pegasus to the Facility roof. She was not at all accustomed to flying on a winged horse over the black waters of the bay. But, even as though she was very relieved to be off the Pegasus and on solid, well, roofing, she felt as though she had just hopped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

'It'll be worth it,' Naomi reminded herself as she came across an open vent. 'Once we get Ryan and Alex out of here, it will be worth the danger.'

Light shown up into the shaft ahead of her. As she peered down through the grate, she could see the walls lined with computer monitors, all showing a different part of the Facility. She gently pushed on the grate hoping beyond all hope that she'd be able to get it open. She was in luck: The screws were loose. Unfortunately, she failed to realize just how hard she had pressed on it. Before she had the chance to get a grip on it, the grate popped loose and started hurtling towards the floor below. Biting back a gasp, Naomi reacted automatically, reaching out and just barely grasping the edge before it fell out of reach. For a moment, she didn't move, didn't even dare to breath.

"So, Dave, how's the weather?" she heard one guard say to the other.

"Oh, it was kinda starting to cloud over when I came in," another guard answered.

Naomi let out the breath she was holding; those guys were thankfully oblivious to her presence. Slowly she brought the grate up, careful not to knock it noisily against the sides of the ventilation shaft. 'Now it's time to see what I'm up against!' Bracing herself against the sides of the shaft, she poked her head down through the hole. She was relieved to see only two men in the room, both facing the computer monitors; she may be only one person, but she had the element of surprise on her side.

Suddenly, the second man – Dave – burst out laughing. "Hey, Bill! You've gotta see this guy they just brought in!"

Bill glanced over and started hooting as well. "That guy looks like a hermit that just crawled out of a sewer!"

Naomi smiled. 'Good,' she thought, 'Jack and Elodie made it in!' It was then, while they were _really _distracted, that she decided to strike. Pulling her head back up, she maneuvered around to get her feet through the opening. 'Just one benefit of being so small!' she thought wryly, 'Free movement in constricting spaces!' She dropped to the floor, landing like a cat behind them. "Ya know," she stated sarcastically, causing the guards to turn in surprise, "you should probably put cameras in the vents!" Before either one quite knew what was happening, they had been thrown to the floor, knocked unconscious. "Well, that takes care of that." Removing their radios, she sat them back-to-back, tying first their hands together, arms interlinked, and then their feet. She moved over to the computer monitors and checked the screen that looked down into the holding area. It was very crowded with all of the bridge workers, but it wasn't hard to spot Crow and his vivid orange hair as he sat against the wall. Elodie, in her hermit disguise, was just walking away from him in unsteady, drunken steps. Naomi guessed that the large guard standing in the middle of the room was Jack. Everyone was in position. "Alright," Naomi told herself as her heart rate picked up with the excitement. "It's go time!"

Naomi picked up one of the radios and put it on over her head, adjusting the microphone so it was over her mouth as she sat down in one of the swivel chairs. After setting the radio to the predetermined frequency that would allow only Jack to hear her, she pressed the button over the earpiece and spoke.

"Archfiend, this is Chaos. Do you copy?"

On the screen, Naomi saw the big guard give a small start before pressing the button on his ear and speaking into his own radio. "Archfiend to Chaos," Naomi heard Jack's Aussie accent crackle in her ear. "Why the devil did we come up with these stupid code names?"

"Ask the psychic mastermind, not me."

"Then this means everything is secure on your end?"

"Obviously. I've got entire control of the Facility's mainframe. Get ready to roll on out!"

* * *

><p>FS93: So, I've decided to do something to modivate you people to review.<br>EK94: 'Cause we know you're reading...  
>FS93: If you give us a signed review, we'll give you a brief preview of the next chapter! Sound like a deal?<br>EK94: If you're not signed in, we'd still love to read what you think though... We just won't have any way to give you the preview...  
>Both: Thanks for reading!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9 Rescue

FS93: *Facepalm*  
>EK94: What did you do now? Leave your windows rolled down on your car during a storm again?<br>FS93: No, nothing like that! I just realized that two chapters ago I added a little * meaning to add a note for it at the end and never did.  
>EK94: (Sarcastically) Good going, genius.<br>FS93: At least it wasn't that important. It was just about how Japan does follow the whole Habeas Corpus thing since their constitution closely resembles that of the USA's…  
>EK94: …Why did you even think of that? ?<br>FS93: No idea, really. Anyway… Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine – Rescue<strong>

Crow sat back against the wall in the holding area, his arms wrapped around his knees, tapping his foot impatiently. His gaze flickered from Elodie, who was leaning against a wall a little ways away, to Jack, who stood coolly in the center of the room, arms folded, a scowl on his face. Crow had no idea what the two of them had in mind for escaping, but an uneasy twinge in his gut was telling him it was gonna be risky. He was waiting anxiously for whatever the signal was going to be, though he had no clue what it was or what he was supposed to do when it happened.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jack give a slight jump, as though something had startled him. His keen grey eyes snapped to the fake guard as the latter raised a hand to the headset in his ear and muttered something. Crow felt himself tense up, wondering if the signal was coming.

Jack walked absent-mindedly toward another guard, standing close to where Elodie was. Crow had to lean forward to hear what he was saying.

"A lot of people here tonight," Jack spoke conversationally, deepening his voice to mask his accent.

"Well, there are a lot of people working on that darned bridge," the guard replied coolly.

Jack scoffed. "Tell me about it. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, when we're stuck in this _city of devils."_

Crow noticed the light emphasis Jack put on the last three words. That was when Elodie sprang into action.

"City o' devils?" she cried, using her fake drunk-male voice. "You think this is a city o' devils, do yuh, copper? Well, I'll tell you what: this _is _a city o' devils! But not 'cause o' us, oh no sir! It's you Sector Security lot that are the devils!"

"Quiet down, you Satellite scum!" Jack snapped as everyone in the room turned to watch what was happening. "No one cares!"

"Is that what you think?" Elodie shouted, stumbling away from the wall and pointing accusingly at Jack. "Well, here's some news for yeh, bud! There're about ten dozen people in this room that care! They're all bein' arrested for crimes they didn't commit! An' the supposed 'crime' is tryin' to bring freedom to the people o' the satellite! An' you think we're scum! Take a look in the mirror an' you'll see who's scum, yeh scumbag!"

There was a smattering of applause from the other prisoners as Elodie spat at Jack's feet. Crow watched, feeling utterly perplexed; was this supposed to be the signal?

"You know what?" Jack snarled, moving towards Elodie. "I think I've just about had enough of you!"

Jack made to grab her, but Elodie ducked beneath his arm and drove an elbow into his gut.

"Take THAT, yeh traitor!" Elodie cackled as Jack gasped.

"Will someone help me with this?" Jack shouted, wincing slightly. The nearest guard, the one Jack had before been conversing with, immediately jumped forward. He was a small, just slightly taller than Elodie, and he seemed to be one of the newer recruits, but he and Jack had no problem wrestling Elodie to the ground – Crow suspected Elodie let them beat her, but it was still alarming to watch.

"Come on!" Jack ordered as he and the second, conveniently smaller guard grabbed Elodie and drug her, kicking and yelling, across the room to a smaller, adjacent room. Crow and the other prisoners watched as the two guards threw Elodie into the room and slammed the door behind them.

Crow got to his feet as the sounds of a scuffle came from behind the door, and he wondered what the deck was going on. Was he supposed to do something? What this all part of the plan?

All of a sudden, the noise stopped. The room filled with palpable silence, and everyone was watching the door. A few moments later, the door opened and the two guards came out, dragging an unconscious figure in a stained coat and tattered hat between them.

"This rat's gonna be out for a while," Jack growled to a couple of other guards as he handed the unconscious prisoner over to them. "He'll probably be a bit delusional when he wakes up. Just keep away from people and make sure he doesn't hurt himself or any others."

Crow's blood froze as the other two guards drug the hermit away. What the devil was Jack doing with Elodie? Was she really unconscious, or was she faking to try and sneak in somewhere? And what was the purposed of the fight? WHAT WAS GOING ON?

"If anyone else has anything to add to that slime ball's comments," Jack was yelling to the room at large, "feel free to follow him!"

No one moved. After several seconds, conversation continued and the tension of what had just happened was slowly released. But Crow was extremely confused, and he was worried about Elodie. If Jack had seriously hurt her…

Suddenly, a loud, shrill bell rang.

"Alright!" a guard yelled. "The first trolley's about to head out to the City! The first fifteen prisoners need to be on board!"

As the other guards began herding some of the prisoners toward the trolley, Crow stayed where he was, unsure what to do. Was this really part of the plan? Had he missed the signal? What was he supposed to do?

"Hey, you! Carrot-top!"

Crow turned to see the guard who had helped Jack carry Elodie away approaching him, glaring at him through the helmet visor.

"What're you doing just standing there?" the guard demanded. "Get going!"

Crow tried to struggle as the guard pushed him towards the line for trolley, but the guard held fast.

"By the way," the guard suddenly whispered in his ear, "that was the signal."

Crow's eyes widened when he recognized Elodie's voice. Now it made sense! The fight was an excuse to get one of the other guards alone so Elodie could get a new disguise. The real guard must have been the one they had drug off.

"Beast to Chaos," Elodie muttered into her radio, one hand over the earpiece, the other pulling at Crow's arm. "Phase two of operation Jailbird is complete. We should arrive with the Bird in ten minutes."

"Copy that, Beast," Crow heard a feminine voice come through the radio. "By the way, nice act! I think Archfiend is gonna feel that punch."

Elodie's lips twitched in a smile. "Archfiend's a big boy; he can deal with it."

Crow chuckled. "You're amazing."

Elodie blushed pink as she tried to hide a smile. "I wouldn't say that. We're not out of the woods yet. But enough talk. Try to act as though you're actually being taken prisoner."

Elodie shoved Crow into the line and moved to stand with Jack near the door. When all fifteen prisoners were in the trolley, the two fake guards stepped in and closed the door behind them. Crow sat down on the end of the bench closest to his friends, and, a few moments later, the trolley jerked forward and started its journey across the bay to the Facility.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" Crow spoke up to all of the surrounding workers.

"We're fine, Mr. Hogan," one of the, Daisuke, replied gruffly.

"Where're the other designers?" a second worker, Marcus, asked. "Atlas and Fudo and Kumari…"

"They're alright," Crow answered, careful not to look at the 'guards' next to him. "I managed to get a warning to them before they took me. "I'm sure they're working on a plan now."

"At least they weren't caught," Daisuke murmured with a relieved sigh.

Crow nodded. "Don't worry, guys; we'll get out of this. Just hang in there until we do."

Several minutes later, the trolley stuttered to a stop. Jack pulled open the door and ordered everyone to get out, single file. He and Elodie stood near the door as the prisoners got off as another guard checked them all on a list. Crow was the last one off, and as the guard checked his name, the man smirked.

"Welcome back, Hogan," he sneered. "What is this, your third trip? Fourth?"

Crow growled darkly and stalked away from the guard. Looking around at the steel walls and iron bars, the bird-duelist couldn't help but feel dismayed; how were they going to escape from this place?

"Yo, Carrot-top!" a voice called, and Crow turned to see Elodie and Jack approaching him. "The warden wants to talk to you," Elodie spoke in a passable man voice. "Personally."

Before Crow could say anything, Jack and Elodie grabbed him by the arms and lead him across the room and down a wide corridor. When they came out of the corridor, the three found themselves in the area where the prisoners were held. The place looked like along, pentagon-shaped tube, dropping down to a dark, black hole with a wide bridge going across it and cell doors lining the walls on several levels. Glancing through the bars on the cell doors as they passed, Crow thought he saw a few gloomy faces watching them. The atmosphere was heavy with the feelings of despair and loss of liberty that the prisoners felt here. Elodie couldn't help but wince slightly.

"You can feel it, huh?" Crow guessed. Elodie nodded once.

"I hate this place," she spoke in a low voice. "I can only imagine what you, Yusei, and Kalin must have gone through here…"

"Will you two shut up before you blow our cover?" Jack whispered fiercely. Elodie closed her mouth and looked ahead, doing as Jack told her; that was proof enough of how much the Facility scared her.

Jack and Elodie seemed to be taking directions from Naomi, aka Chaos, over their radios, because Crow had no idea how else they knew where to go. He assumed that Naomi had somehow taken over the mainframe, and they were going to meet her rather than the warden. His suspicions were confirmed when the two 'guards' lead him to the elevator across the room and pressed the button to take them to the mainframe.

"I can't believe we've made it this far," Jack muttered as he leaned against the side of the elevator, shaking his head, as they travelled up. "Do you realize how many things could have gone wrong?"

"Yes, I do, Jack. You've told me about twenty times," Elodie replied tersely. "We're getting lucky; I just hope it lasts until we get the heck out of here." Elodie pressed the button on her radio and said, "Beast to Chaos, We're coming up the elevator. We're just about to reach the mainframe."

"Copy that, Beast," Naomi voice crackled through the headset. "See you in a few!"

"By the way," Jack inserted, glaring at Elodie as he wrapped an arm around his stomach, "was it really necessary for you to hit so hard?"

"Oh, suck it up, tough guy; it needed to look realistic!"

Jack opened his mouth to retort, but at that moment, the elevator dinged to a stop and the doors slid open. Elodie, Crow, and Jack all stepped out and found themselves in a rectangular room filled with TV screens and monitors. In front of one of the computers was Naomi, who was typing furiously as the screen reflected in her bright green eyes. A little ways away from her, two men were tied together back-to-back with gags over their mouths, still unconscious.

"Hey, guys," Naomi greeted with an ironic little smile, glancing at the three newcomers briefly. "Welcome to Hell's mainframe."

"You're not kidding," Elodie commented with a shudder. "This place is _horrible."_

"Have you located where your brother and friend are yet?" Jack asked the green-eyed girl, uncovering his own violet eyes.

"Workin' on it," Naomi replied. "I already know Alex in on level D, cell 27, and I'm trying to find my brother, Ryan, now…"

"Before we go any further," Crow cut in, "can someone _please _tell me what the whole plan is?"

"Right," Elodie asserted. "First off, though, Naomi, I want you to officially meet my best friend, Crow Hogan. Crow, this is Naomi Mori."

"Nice to officially meet you," Crow greeted with a smile, holding out his hand.

"Likewise," Naomi replied, shaking his hand.

Elodie clapped her hands together and rubbed them. "Alright. Now, Crow, here's the plan: The first half was to get you away from Security's attention and find a way to get into the Facility. That, we have done, obviously. Next, we're going to find Naomi's friends and get them out as well."

"How are we escaping?" Crow asked.

"The same way Naomi got in: Through the vents," Elodie replied, pointing up at the big square hole in the ceiling. "Jack, can you reach it?"

Jack stepped forward until he stood right beneath the open vent, reached up and wrapped his fingers around the edge of the hole. "Piece of cake," he smirked.

"Great! Okay then, Crow, you and Naomi will go up first, so you're both out of harm's way, and I'm going to go fetch Naomi's friends while Jack keeps watch in here. Then the four of us will meet you up on the roof, and I'll fly us back to Satellite with duel monsters. Sound good?"

"I think so," Crow replied with a nod. "Just one question, though: What's with the code talk?"

"I was wondering myself," Jack put in, turning to Elodie.

She smirked. "There are two reasons: A) If anyone happens to hack our signal while we're talking, they won't have any clue what we're saying, and B) it makes this a lot more fun!"

Crow laughed and rolled his eyes. "Elodie, you are something else."

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you very much," Elodie replied with mock curtsy and wide grin.

Naomi chuckled. "Wow," she spoke, smirking as she spun around in the swivel chair, "you two really are a perfect couple."

"WHAT?" Crow and Elodie exclaimed at the same time as Jack burst out laughing.

"Oh, shut up, Jack," Elodie grumbled, blushing furiously.

"It's not that funny!" Crow complained as his ears turned bright red. Naomi just smiled cheekily, still spinning in the chair.

"Will you stop spinning?" Elodie snapped. "I thought you were looking for you brother."

"It's still searching the system," Naomi replied. "And I can't help it! I love spinney chairs!"

Suddenly, the computer beeped, and Naomi gasped, rolling the chair back to the computer screen. "We've got him!" she cried excitedly. "Ryan is in cell E19."

"Got it," Elodie nodded, her expression all business once again. "Alex in D27; Ryan in E19." Elodie looked down at her newest friend, determination in her eyes. "I'll take if rom here, Naomi. You and Crow get out of here; Jack and I will take care of your friends. You trust me, right?"

Naomi's green eyes met Elodie's hazel ones, and the two girls gazed at each other for a long moment until Naomi replied. "You've kept your word thus far, and you have has much to lose as the rest of us. I trust you well enough."

Elodie beamed at her. "Good. Now quick you two, in the vent! We've gotta move fast; Security's bound to notice something's up any minute."

Naomi got up and, with Jack and Crow's help, clamored back into the vent. With a leg-up, Crow followed suit.

"You two be careful," Crow called back as he and Naomi started off.

"Don't worry about us, Crow," Elodie replied. "We've got this!"

"Good luck, mate," Jack called. "See you in the open!"

* * *

><p>FS93: Once again, if you review you get a preview! However, preview content is pretty limited since I only have half the chapter right now. *hint-hint*<br>EK94: I'm workin' on it, okay? ! I'm a little busy with _other things _at the moment!  
>FS93: Just warning our readers that it'll be awhile before they get another update, that's all.<br>Both: Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10 Reunion

_ElodieKumari94: _Hello everyone!

_Readers: _*Glare evilly*

_FallingStar93: _IT'S NOT MY FAULT!

_EK94: _...I take full responsibility. College was too busy, and, of course, I was the one with the notebook. Four states away from Star.

_FS93: _Since it has been six months since anyone has probably read this, here's a recap:  
>Elodie Kumari stumbled across a homeless girl, Naomi Mori, in the Satellite. Through a twist of fate, Naomi was pulled into the chaos when Sector Security tried to arrest Elodie, Crow, and the rest of the gang. Thankfully, only Crow was caught, but Elodie didn't want him to have to suffer in the Facility yet again so she came up with quite the twisted plan to infiltrate the Facility and rescue Crow. However, for the plan to work, they needed Naomi. She agreed under the promise that Elodie and Jack would break her best friend and her brother out as well. They got in and got Crow out without a hitch. Will their luck continue to hold out in <em>Reunion<em>?

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten – Reunion<strong>

Ryan Mori sat cross-legged, right elbow resting on his right knee, chin resting on the fist of his right hand, deep in thought. Across from him, also sitting on the bottom bunk bed of their room, was his roommate and friend, Kyle. Ever since the Facility had come under new management, prisoners were allowed to keep their decks, and those whose decks had been confiscated in the past, had had them returned.

"Hmm… I guess I end my turn with a face-down," Kyle, a scrawny teenager with gold hair, stated.

"You're too predictable, Kyle," Ryan shot playfully. "I draw, then activate the End of Storm spell card. Say 'sayonara' to that face-down. And, now, Force Raider will take out the last of your life points, as well."

"Ah, man!" Kyle lamented, leaning back against the wall behind him. "I really thought I had ya for a minute!"

Ryan gave a short laugh. "Maybe next time, old friend; maybe next time!"

Suddenly the door to their room flew open to reveal a rather short guard. Ryan turned his head in surprise; about the only time that door ever opened was for meals or if you were in big-time trouble. "Ryan Mori?" the guard asked.

"That'd be me," he responded, standing from the bed.

"The warden wants a word with you. _Several_ actually."

Ryan froze, a lump rising in his throat. Quickly, he gathered his cards, sliding them into the deck box on his belt; he never went anywhere without his deck. He glanced over his shoulder at Kyle, who just shrugged with a perplexed look on his face, as he followed the guard out of the room.

"We have one other prisoner to pick up before heading to the warden's office," the guard spoke.

Ryan nodded once. There was something off about this guard, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what that something was. In fact, this whole situation seemed off to him. He hadn't done anything against the rules, so why would the warden be calling for him? But he couldn't have simply refused the request; if he had, and the warden had truly sent for him, he would have just jumped from the frying pan into the fire. So he had no other choice but to follow this guard as they ascended the stairs to level D.

The guard stopped in front of a door with the number 27 written on the wall in white next to the door. Once again, he threw the door open to the surprise of the two occupants. "Alex Haru?" he asked.

Alex stood from the floor where he and his roommate had also been dueling. "Yeah?"

"Come with me," the guard commanded. "The warden wants to speak with you."

Scooping up his cards, he stepped out the door, giving a surprised look to Ryan. "You too, eh?" Ryan nodded. "Any idea what his is about?"

Ryan shook his head. "I don't have the foggiest."

"Can it, you two!" the guard snapped. Both boys instantly shut their mouths and continued to follow the guard to the elevator. The three stepped inside the elevator, and the guard pressed the button for the top floor.

Then it hit him: Ryan knew the warden's office was on the ground floor, so if they were going up, that couldn't be where they were headed. What in the world was going on?

A moment later, the elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal a room with three of the four walls covered with computer monitors. In one of two swivel chairs, sitting with his back to them, was a blond-haired man also wearing a security uniform.

"Alright, Jack; we're gotta move fast!" the guard spoke in a strangely feminine tone. The guard pulled off his helmet to reveal a mass of brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. The _he _was a _she! _"This is Ryan, Naomi's brother; and her friend, Alex, by the way."

And then the man, Jack, turned around. 'Wait,' though Ryan, 'Is that Jack ATLAS? And what was that about my sister? This just keeps getting more and more confusing…'

Jack nodded. "Let's get going. We'll follow you, Elodie." He went over to the hole in the ceiling where the air vent used to be. Giving her a boost, he gave the instructions Naomi have given him earlier. "Go to the right when you get up there. There's only one intersection; when you reach it, go left. Other than that, it's all straight forward, then up." The girl guard, Elodie, nodded. "Alright, Alex, now you go."

"Not 'til I find out what's going on!" Alex stated firmly.

"We're getting you out of here, what does it look like?" Jack responded. "Now, let's go; we don't have a lot of time!"

"But why us?" Ryan inserted. "We don't even know you!"

"You are Naomi's brother, are you not?" Elodie asked from the vent shaft. "Look, I know your sister, and she's waiting for the both of you on the roof at this very moment. If we ever get there, anyway. So you're just gonna have to trust us and c'mon!"

Alex and Ryan glanced at each other before nodding once. "Alright, then give me a boost already!" Alex stated.

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><p>Naomi stood at the edge of the roof, staring out at the dark ocean, a strong breeze whipping her hair about her face. She hadn't seen her brother or Alex in over four years; what would it be like now? Had they changed at all since she had seen them? What would they look like? How would they respond to seeing her again?<p>

Lost in her thoughts, Naomi didn't notice Crow lean against the ledge next to her until he spoke up.

"So… Uhm…"

"So… What?" Naomi asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I don't know," Crow sighed after a small pause. Naomi chuckled to herself. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. I just can't believe I'm standing here, on the roof of the Facility, with a total stranger right now."

Crow laughed with her this time. "Yeah. If you don't believe life has a sense of humor, it's times like these that can prove you wrong."

"I guess so," Naomi chortled. Then her smile fell, and she turned to face Crow. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you," she began.

"What is it?" Crow asked, slightly surprised.

Naomi looked him in the eye and asked, "Why did you save Elodie a month ago?"

Crow blinked in surprise; whatever he had expected, that wasn't it. How much did she know? "Uhm… You mean from the wall after her duel, or from Kalin, or…"

"Just everything. Why did you help her at all?"

"Well, why did you want to help her last night? She was in trouble, and I couldn't just stand by and watch her get hurt."

"But even afterwards, you stayed with her. You tried to help her. You tried to talk to her. She told me all about it, Crow. I want to know why you did it."

Crow was silent for a moment, pondering her question, gazing out across the harbor to the distant lights of Satellite. When he finally spoke again, it was in a low sincere tone. "Because it hurt me to see her so lost in the dark. I was like that once; alone and unwanted. I never want anyone to have to feel that way." Crow looked back to Naomi, his grey eyes piercing right through her green ones. "It's the same reason she wanted to help you. She's been through a lot, as I'm sure she told you, and now all she wants is for others not to suffer as she has. Elodie Kumari is one of the strongest, bravest, most gold-hearted girls I have ever, and ever, meet. Anyone who counts themselves as one of her friends can count themselves lucky."

Naomi thought about his words and smiled to herself. She had seen all of these qualities in Elodie as well, and it seemed as though Crow knew her deeply. "You know, Crow, Elodie is really, really grateful for what you did for her. She speaks very fondly of you."

Crow suddenly blushed bright pink and looked quickly away, biting his lip to hold back a smile. "Does she now?"

Naomi laughed at his failed attempt of sounding nonchalant. "Yeah, she really looks up to you. The way she talks about you, you'd think you were some kind of angel."

The expression on Crow's face only made Naomi laugh harder; the poor boy was so love-struck.

"The question is," Crow spoke, changing the subject, "are you just as grateful to her now?"

"Why should I be grateful?" Naomi snapped. "She hasn't done anything for me yet."

"Nothing but break you friends out of jail. And if she'd done what I have, then she'd done a darn lot more as well."

CLANK!

The two whirled around in surprise to find that Elodie had emerged from the air duct. Crow smiled walking over to her. "'Bout time! I was starting to worry about you guys…"

Elodie smiled back. "No worries! All we have to do now is fly outa here back to Satellite."

As the two exchanged words, three other figures climbed from the duct: The first two Crow didn't recognize, but the third was Jack. Before the bird duelist had a chance to figure out who they were, Naomi gave him the answer.

"Ryan?" she whispered, green eyes widening. The brown-haired boy turned towards her, their gazes locking. Time seemed to stand still; for a moment she didn't move, didn't even breathe. Then Naomi took a step forward; that step turned into a sprint as she quickly closed the short distance between them. "Ryan!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. She couldn't stop herself from smiling, laughing, and crying all at the same time as her brother embraced her back, holding her tightly as though he thought she might disappear if he didn't.

"Naomi," Ryan murmured, a tear sliding down his own smiling face as he held his sister. After five years of dreaming about this moment – the moment when he could see his beloved sister again – it was hard to believe she was really there, her arms vice-like around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. Ryan pressed his cheek against her head, breathing in her familiar sent, savoring every millisecond of the moment. "Naomi…"

"Naomi!" the second prisoner exclaimed, staring at the girl in jubilant shock.

She looked up to find the voice. "Alex!" Naomi cried just as loudly a she had for Ryan, untangling herself from her brother's hold and throwing herself into his arms. Alex hugged her almost desperately, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around, laughing, and crying all at once.

"I can't believe you're here!" he laughed in disbelief, setting her down and holding her out at arm's length, looking her up and down. Wow, he thought, she was just as beautiful as he remembered.

"I can hardly believe it either!" she replied, her eyes sparking with tears as they feasted on him. Alex hadn't changed a bit, other than the wing-shaped criminal mark beneath his left eye, but somehow, it didn't take away from his handsome features. He still had those bright, laughing teal eyes, rather messy, light purple hair, that smile that could light up the world…

Ryan approached the two of them, his eyes also shining. He had changed just as much as Alex had. The three of them embraced again, rejoicing in their reunion after five, long, painful years.

"I missed you guys so much," Naomi whispered, tears falling down her face once again.

Crow watched the reunion with a wide smile as he tried the tears forming in his own eyes. 'Ah, I'm nothing but a big softy,' he thought to himself.

"Who said that was a bad thing?" Elodie whispered, and, the next thing Crow knew, she had thrown her arms around him in a tight embrace. Stunned, it took a minute for Crow to gather his thoughts together enough to hug her back. The two of them had been deeply worried about one another, and now that they were well out of harm's way, they felt the need to celebrate their own reunion.

Jack stood in between the two groups, looking from the trio to the duo, feeling very left out. "I hate to break up this little love-fest," he spoke loudly, his tone ill-tempered, "but we're standing on the roof of a prison. In case you haven't noticed, this isn't over yet!"

Naomi glared back at Jack. "You really know how to ruin the moment, don't you, Jack?"

"That's was he's known for," Crow teased, pulling out of Elodie's grasp. As soon as he looked down and saw the expression on the psychic's face, however, his spirits sunk and his face became very serious. "Elodie, what's wrong?"

Elodie's eyes were wide and alert, slightly pulsing gold. She whirled around and said in a low voice, "We're not alone." She was staring at a tall, wooden cupboard that had been abandoned at the edge of the roof. This was the first time any of them had noticed it, and now that they had, they saw an iron padlock looped through the handles. As Elodie strode toward if, she activated her duel disk and slapped down a card. In a shower of sparks, the Ax of Despair appeared out of thin air.

"Whoa!" Ryan exclaimed. "How did she _do _that?"

No one answered him. They were all watching intently as Elodie took the ax in both hands, held it over her head, and brought it down as hard as she could, the blade slicing through the metal like scissors through paper. Naomi gasped as the cupboard doors opened and two men, bound and unconscious, with bags over their heads, toppled out into Elodie's arms.

"Who the deck…" Alex muttered as Jack hurried forward to help Elodie, as she was staggering under the men's weight. The others gathered around as Elodie and Jack Laid the prisoners down on the roof, and Elodie hurriedly loosened the bags and removed them.

"The warden!" Crow gasped. "And the Sector Security Chief!"

One man groaned softly and his eyes slowly fluttered open. He was a middle-aged man with think brown hair and a matching mustache. His face was unnaturally pale, and there was a gash on his cheek along with a couple of bruises.

"What the…" he moaned. "Mr. Atlas? Ms. Kumari?"

"Who did this to you?" Elodie demanded as Jack hurriedly opened his pocketknife to cut the bonds around the warden's wrists and ankles before turning to do the same for the chief.

"One of the Sector Security captains," he answered heavily as the two helped sit him up. "I don't know his name. He came and challenged me to a duel." Hanging his head in shame, the man admitted, "I lost. It was a duel unlike any I had ever experienced. The damage was real."

"A psychic duelist," Elodie muttered.

"Then two of the guards aligned with him took me, bound me, and beat me unconscious. I tried to fight them, and those loyal to the city turned to fight as well, but we were outnumbered. There was nothing we could do…"

"It was a mutiny," Jack growled through his teeth. "Trudge warned us this might happen."

"A mutiny against what?" asked Ryan.

Crow answered, "The Daedalus Bridge. There are plenty of people in the City that would love to see it torn down instead of built up."

"Well, I've got news for them," Jack declared, getting to his feet and clenching his fist. "That's not going to happen! Not as long as Jack Atlas is around!"

"We've got to get back to Satellite and figure out our next move," Elodie stated urgently. She turned to the warden. "Can you stand?"

"Well enough," he replied stiffly, using Elodie for support a he climbed unsteadily to his feet. "Someone has to contact the Bureau, let them know what's happening."

"I tried that the moment Elodie warned us what was happening," Jack said. "But whoever's behind this had jammed all communications to them."

But the warden shook his head. "There is one way left. There's an emergency transmitter hidden in one of the warehouses on Satellite. Only the highest ranking officers and myself know about it." The Warden was breathing heavily and a cold sweat beaded his brow as he leaned against Elodie, who struggled to support him. "I don't know if I can there, though. Those cursed traitors really did a number on me. I don't know what happened to Charlie here," he continued, nodding at the still-unconscious chief, "but I doubt he's in any condition to fight."

"Can you tell us where it is?" Crow asked. "And how to use the transmitter?"

"It's in Warehouse B39 in the Southern District, but I doubt you could use the machine," the warden replied hopelessly. "Unless any of you happen to know Morse Code."

"Morse Code?!" Jack cried. "Are you serious? I didn't even know that still existed!"

"I don't know Morse Code," Crow sighed, scratching his head. "Elodie?"

Elodie shook her head in despair. "No. This is just perfect."

Naomi, Ryan, and Alex exchanged glances. Elodie turned to them slowly, sensing their feelings through their auras. Her eyes were wide and hopeful as she asked, "Do you three know Morse Code?"

Naomi smiled. "It was our secret way of communicating in the old days. I think I still remember how to use it."

"Would you be willing to help us out then?"

"Would I have said anything if we weren't?"

"We owe you guys, big time, for breaking us out," Ryan smiled, putting an arm around his sister. "This seems like a way as good as any to return the favor."

"Definitely," Alex agreed. "Not to mention that it's been five years since we've seen any excitement!"

"There's a password you'll need to know to activate the transmitter," the warden spoke up. "It's four letters: M-U-T-O. You have to know it forwards and backwards."

"M-U-T-O," Naomi repeated, committing it to memory. "Got it!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jack shouted. "Let's get a-move on!"

Suddenly, red lights began blinking along the edges of the roof and a wailing siren split the night air. The gang on the roof cried out in alarm, clapping their hands over their ears to drown out the noise.

"What's happening?" Elodie yelled over the noise, her eyes wide and fearful.

"They must have realized prisoners have escaped!" the warden shouted. "They're sounding the alarm!"

Just then, spot lights that were set up on the edges of the roof turned on, the bright beams sweeping over the city below like giant eyes. There were more sirens and the screeching of tires along with the tell-tale _whip-whip-whip-whip_ of a chopper. Crow moved to the edge of the roof and looked down to see a couple of helicopters taking off, heading towards Satellite followed by several police cars and runners. He could hear the security cops yelling from where he stood.

"It looks like they're sending out the whole force!" Crow called back to his friends. "How on Earth are we gonna get out of here now?"

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><p><em>EK94: <em>Dun-dun-dun!

_FS93: _We promise it won't take six months to update from now on! I have the notebook now. (:

_Both: _Please review!


	11. Chapter 11 The Traitor

FallingStar93: You can't kill me; it's only been like three months since the last update, and I only promised it wouldn't be six again...

ElodieKumari94: That and we only have one more full chapter after this one written.

FS93: Well, we have more than that written, there's just this one part we never decided on how to write... I'll have to figure that out once my muse decides to stop hiding under my bed. Believe me, it's a been a pain with the other fics I'm working to too so...

EK94: On another note, if you haven't read Star's _Angels and Devils _you won't quite know one of the characters that comes in this chapter, and it won't seem like as big of a deal that he/she is there...

FS94: This hasn't been proof-read. Just warning ya. All mistakes are mine.

EK94: Neither of us own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, just our OC's. (:

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven – The Traitor<strong>

'This is bad,' Naomi thought as the sirens wailed and the wind whipped her hair around her face. "This is really bad!" she spoke aloud. Instinctively, she reached back, and she felt Ryan's and Alex's hands clasp in hers. Despite the situation, Naomi felt a wave of relief at their touch; it was so good to have them back.

"Are you telling us we're stuck up here?" Jack yelled.

"No," Elodie snapped. "Getting down just got a bit trickier, that's all. "You did cover the vent back up before coming up here, right Jack?"

"Of course I did!"

"You guys go," the warden spoke suddenly, sitting down heavily and leaning back against the cabinet. "I'll stay up here. Charlie and I will get help once we have our strength back."

"No way!" Crow objected, returning to the group. "We can't just leave you up here!"

"If you take us, we'll only be a burden to you. We're in no condition to fight anyway. We'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Elodie asked anxiously.

"Don't you worry about us, Ms. Kumari. We will try to contact the Security Bureau once we get out of here. You guys just get out of harm's way."

The six friends all exchanged glances and nodded once. They knew the warden had made his decision and that he wouldn't back down from it.

"Alright," Jack said. "So we continue with the original plan?"

"I think so," Elodie confirmed as Naomi nodded. "We're just going to have to be more careful."

"What plan?" Crow, Alex, and Ryan all asked at once.

No one answered them as Elodie took out an extra radio set she had taken from a captured S.S guard and gave it to the warden. "Use this if you ever need to contact us," she told him, "but be careful not to give away obvious information. They could be hacking the airwaves."

The warden took the radio and nodded before leaning his head back and closing his eyes with a pained sigh. Elodie turned away and walked to the edge of the roof, activating her duel disk, her eyes glowing gold. "Crow, I'm going to have to borrow one of your Blackwings."

The Bird Duelist immediately understood what the rest of the plan was and handed Elodie his Blackwing: Armor Master before backing away. Elodie took it and a card from her own deck and slapped them down on her duel disk. "Blackwing: Armor Master, Midnight Pegasus," Elodie declared, "mind giving us a lift?"

Alex and Ryan gaped as, in two floods of light, the two monsters appeared on either side of her. Midnight Pegasus stomped his hooves and threw his head up, snorting in anticipation, and the Blackwing crouched down, weapon in hand, waiting for a signal.

"A psychic duelist!" Ryan whispered in amazement, eyes wide.

"Sweet!" Alex exclaimed. "Wait… Are we _flying _on those things?"

"Yup!" Naomi confirmed without much enthusiasm. "Yippee-skippy."

"Crow, Jack, and I will take the Blackwing," Elodie proclaimed. "Naomi, you, Ryan, and Alex can take Pegasus. Is that alright?"

"I guess it'll have to be," Naomi sighed as she approached the giant winged horse. "Not much other choice."

"Are you sure this is safe?" Ryan asked hesitantly.

"It should be, as long as I'm in control," Elodie replied as Crow, who was already on the back of the Blackwing, helped her up behind him. "Just don't fall off."

"That's reassuring," Ryan retorted dryly.

Elodie grinned. "I can tell you're Naomi's brother." She turned to said girl. "Oh, by the way… Catch!"

Naomi grinned from atop the Pegasus as she caught her hat. "Honestly didn't think I'd get it back…" She pulled it one over her hair before reaching down to help Ryan up in front of her. Alex climbed up behind, and Jack mounted the Blackwing behind Elodie.

"Well keep up above the clouds," Elodie explained, "until we find a clear spot to land in Satellite. We can't let Security spot us. Everyone ready?"

"Not really," Ryan muttered, tangling his fingers in the Pegasus' mane.

"Let's go, already, before they think to check up here!" Jack yelled and, in unison, the two monsters launched themselves off the edge of the roof and into the sky. Naomi cried out and wrapped her arms tighter around her brother's waist; behind her, Alex did the same. The Pegasus galloped up into the clouds, its wings beating powerfully on either side of the three riders. Bitter cold rain from inside the clouds soaked them through, and, for a moment, they were blinded by the dark, wispy clouds. But then the winged beast rose above the clouds, bathing them in moonlight beneath a blanket of stars. To their left, Blackwing: Armor Master emerged from the clouds and soared beside them, the two monsters in perfect unison. Their master looked around, and her golden gaze met Naomi's. Elodie flashed an encouraging smile, but it didn't quite hide the tension on her face; they may have gotten out of the Facility undetected, but they weren't out of the woods yet.

"_Whoa," _Ryan exclaimed, and Naomi looked up to see his face slack and eyes wide in amazement. "This is… incredible!"

"We're out!" Alex said excitedly. "We're finally out of the Facility, man!" He looked down at Naomi, his eyes bright and loving. "And it's all thanks to you!"

"Oh, I couldn't take all of the credit," Naomi replied with a smile. She turned to look at the three onboard the Blackwing. "I had some pretty amazing people help me out."

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><p>POV CHANGE (Unnamed first person)<p>

"So who are we looking for exactly?" I asked the division leader. "What does the prisoner look like?"

"His name is Crow Hogan," the captain answered bluntly. "Bushy orange hair, lots of criminal markings. You should have a picture of him and other designers in your profiler."

I eased a hand off the handle of my duel runner to tap at the screen before me. After hitting a few touch-screen buttons, the list of profiles came up, showing me our query. Crow Hogan was third on the list, and he was just as the captain described.

I had to bite my lip against the pang I felt in my stomach at the sight of his face. Of course I knew exactly whom we were looking for; it had been stupid to ask the captain. I could never forget the face of Crow Hogan.

Right above him was Jack Atlas, his dark scowl and amethyst eyes glaring at me through the screen; above him – first on the list – was Yusei Fudo, sapphire eyes staring up from under his black and yellow, crab-like hair. After Hogan was a brown-haired, hazel-eyed girl name Elodie Kumari.

"Got it," I told the captain, who nodded once. There were only four other S.S men in our division, and we were all streaking through Satellite on our duel runners. I could hear more sirens all around us, along with the whir of helicopters above us as bright search lights swept over the dilapidated city. My heart was pounding as adrenaline rushed through my veins, making me shake with excitement and anticipation. The uprising had become a huge deal, and I had the feeling that tonight all Hell was going to break loose.

"We should split up," the captain declared, breaking through my thoughts. He pointed at the two guards on his left, farthest from me. "You two search the East District." He swung his finger back to the two behind him. "You two take the Downtown. I'll take the Western portion." Finally the captain pointed to me. "You will head for the South. Communicate by radio if you find anything of interest."

"Yes, sir!" my fellow officers and I chorused, and, one by one, we all split and sped off through the night, having to my laughter. I had only been on the force for about five years, but I never got tired of the rush that came with a big search like this; it was just one of those things that never got old.

But then I remembered what I had to do to get on the force, and I felt small stirrings of guilt. I had hurt a lot of people, lost a lot of friends, took the freedom of those closest to me, and even caused the death of one girl. Worst of all, though, I had lost the trust of the one girl I had ever truly cared for…

'Snap out of it!' I scolded myself inwardly, shaking my head to clear the dark thoughts. 'You have a mission: Recapture Crow and take Fudo, Atlas, and Kumari if you can. That's all that matters now.'

I was approaching the edge the Southern District. It was one of the larger districts in Satellite, covering most of the southern coastline plus several miles inland. It was a place I knew well; it was the place where I used to hand out with my friends… until…

"Knock it off!" I muttered to myself, slamming on my runner's brakes. The bike skidded to a halt, sending pebbles and loose gravel flying, and I shut off the sirens. I had always thought they were stupid, good for nothing but blowing cover. Disengaging my duel disk and attacking it to my arm, I checked that my gun was still in its holster and my deck still in its box before dismounting and pushing my runner into a dark corner behind a few trash cans, where I could easily retrieve it later. Then I set off at a run, moving as quietly as I could. This was what made me so valuable to the Security force: I had once been a criminal so I knew how to track a criminal.

I knew I had to be the one too catch them; if I did, then my five, long years of waiting would be over and they would finally move me to the City force.

Little did I know, I was looking in the wrong place.

There was a whoosh of air above me, and two dark shadows passed in front of the cloud-choked moonlight. I staggered to a halt and looked up just in time to see two large, black shapes descend from the clouds. What the deck… Were those duel monsters?

My hand flew to my utility belt and yanked out the pair of night-vision binoculars on my hip. Pressing them against the visor of my helmet, I looked through and discovered they _were _duel monsters! One of them I immediately recognized as Crow's – his favorite Synchro monster, Blackwing: Armor Master. The other was a midnight black horse with wings. They weren't just holograms either; they were _real. _ They gave off their own body temperature and, from the outline, appeared to have passengers!

Each monster seemed to have carrying three passengers. Six people. The four designers and two accomplices, maybe? It was impossible to tell – they were too far away – but it seemed likely.

I watched silently as the duel monsters descended and landed just a little ways off. I took off at a run again, going as fast as I could without making too much noise. They couldn't be allowed to escape. This was my big chance!

"I never, ever, _ever, _not in a million _years_, want to do that again!" came a soft, baritone voice.

I almost froze at the sound. There was no way… It couldn't possibly be…

"Oh, come on, Ryan," said another, slightly louder male voice. "You've gotta admit that was cool!"

"Will you two quite yapping so loudly?" came a third, irritated voice with an Aussie accent. "Unless you really want to be chucked right back in the Facility again!"

I slowly approached the next corner of the street, my heart threatening to break right out of my chest. I would have known the first two voices anywhere, even after five year. But still… There was no way it could be true…

But it was. Pressing my back against the wall, I carefully peered around the corner and saw them all, clear as day even in the darkness. As I glanced around, I noted that the duel monsters were nowhere to be seen. I instantly recognized three of them as the designers from my profiler – Crow, Atlas, and Kumari. The other three were just as easy to identify, but I didn't need a computer to tell me. Their faces were unforgettable, permanently engraved in my memory, after all of the time I had spent with them… and everything I had done to them.

Alex Haru, and Ryan and Naomi Mori.

Naomi…

With a shiver, I realized this was exactly the same spot I had seen them last. Oh, the irony!

All at once all of the memories from that fateful night came flooding back, playing like a movie reel through my head. The shouts, the shock, the betrayal, the anger, the hatred… the gunshot… and Naomi. Naomi and all of her sharp words and hate-filled shouts. Her furious, beautiful face swarm before my eyes, the last memory I had of her, with green eyes full of agony and betrayal.

But she didn't like that way now. In fact, she looked almost happy. Maybe a little anxious and scared, but other than that, I had never seen her so confident. She stuck close to her brother and, even from where I stood, I saw Alex reach out and squeeze her hand comfortingly. Was that and adoring look she was giving him? She had never looked at me like that!

"Calm down, Jack," Crow was saying. "They just got out of the clink, give 'em a break."

I had to bite back a groan. Why did Crow have to be here too? Why did he have to be involved? My plan had been to forget about him and never see him again. It was shocking to see him standing just a few yards away. He had grown up a surprising amount since I have last seen him five years ago; he was more filled-out and muscular, and he had to have at least three criminal marks. 'What have you been getting into, my old friend?'

"They can celebrate later," Atlas snapped. He and Kumari were both dressed in Security uniforms so it was easy to assume who had performed the breech. "We have to get a message to Trudge and Mina, and, if these two keep chatting like this, all of Sector Security will be on us in seconds!"

"It seems to me as though you're doin' most of the yappin', Jack," Crow returned. "Either way, I kinda hope we run into some officers," he continued, cracking his knuckles. "I would love to knock their heads and give 'em a piece of my mind!"

"You might be able to do that sooner than expected, Crow," the Kumari girl suddenly spoke. She whirled around, and the next thing I knew her fiery gaze was burning a hole through me. "We have company."

There was something very wrong about that girl. How did she know I was here? Why were her eyes glowing amber? They had been hazel in the photo. Something tugged at the back of my mind, and I remember reading in her profile that she was psychic. So she must have been responsible for the living duel monsters as well. Not that it was important now.

Before any of them could react, my hand flew back to the pouch on my belt, and I whipped out a pair of clamps connected by a long roll of rope. I threw one of the clamps lasso-style, and my aim was true. It latched onto Naomi Mori's duel disk.

"Hey!" Ryan shouted as I stepped out of the shadows, walking towards the group with a big smirk on my face.

"What gives?" Alex added angrily.

I took a deep breath and inwardly braced myself. Show no fear. Show no regret. Show no remorse. That was what my trainers in Sector Security had taught me. Now I had to put their training into action. I chuckled darkly as Naomi tried unsuccessfully to remove the hook.

"That won't do you much good, Naomi Mori," I called to her, attacking the second hook to my duel disk and activating it. "That little hook won't come off until after we duel. And at the end of the duel –."

"The loser's duel disk is destroyed, we know!" snapped Jack Atlas, glaring at me indignantly. "You stole that trick from the Enforcers!"

"How do you know Naomi's name?" Kumari asked, her eyes still boring into me. Yami, that chick was creep! It was like her gaze was peeling away every layer of my skin, right through to me soul. "Naomi, do you know him?"

I stopped and turned to face Naomi. She was staring across the rope at me, her jade-green eyes trying to peer through my visor at the face it covered. But she suspected who I was; I could see it in her face.

I laughed again. "What's the matter, Naomi? Don't you remember me? What about you, Ryan? Alex? How about you… Crow? Can't you recognize your old friend?"

"Enough games!" Kumari barked. "Who are you –?"

"Jori."

Naomi spat my name out like a foul word. And there it was again, the expression that had been engrained on my mind since the last night I had seen her. I could see it all, right in front of my eyes, my memory taking my back to that night…

"_How could you, Jori?" Naomi accused me in a whisper. "How could you?!"_

_I forced myself to laugh through the guilt and hurt I was concealing in my heart. "You should already have an idea of why, Naomi. Remember our conversation yesterday? This is my key out of here! I work for them long enough, and eventually Sector Security will send me to the City to work!"_

"_But why my brother?" she asked, he voice strained with pain and anger. "Why Alex and Mieke? Why didn't you turn me in, too, since you obviously knew I was here?"_

_That question stung me. After everything we had been through, she really thought I would betray her? 'Well,' came the unbidden voice in my mind, 'You did just do it to Alex and Ryan… and Mieke…'_

_I forced myself not to look over at Mieke's body lying several yards away. Killing her had NOT been part of the plan. Someone was definitely going to hear about that when I got back to headquarters… but I could grieve later._

"_Isn't obvious?" I asked softly, crouching down in front of her shaking figure on the ground pressed against the wall. "It wouldn't make sense to mark up your beautiful face."_

_Startled by my answer, Naomi looked up and met my gaze. It tore my up to see all of the pain in her beautiful, jewel-like green eyes, but there was something else there too… Familiarity, like nothing changed… and small stirrings of hope._

"_As soon as I can get out of here," I continued soothingly, "I'm gonna take you with me! That's why I told you yesterday that you had to be strong and hold on."_

"_But why pretend to kill yourself?!" Naomi demanded. "How in the world did you even manage to fake it?"_

"_I had to find a way to completely disappear, a way that no one would come looking for me. As for how I managed that… Well, that's a bit of secret I'm not allowed to tell! But I just have to keep helping Security round up this Scum; then we'll have our ticket out of here, I promise!"_

_That did it. I opened my big mouth just a little too far. Something snapped in Naomi's eyes and her expression suddenly twisted into anger and hatred._

"_My brother is NOT Satellite Scum!" she shouted. "Alex and Mieke aren't either! How DARE you say that they are?!" She got to her feet and moved away from the wall, her eyes shooting poison darts at me. "If you consider them to be, then I am too!"_

"_Now hold no just a cotton-pickin' minute –!" I began angrily, standing up as well._

"_You really believe working for them is going to get you out of here?! They're using you, Jori! They'll never send you to the City because you're only valuable to them here! As soon as you can't help them anymore, they'll dispose of you by sending you to the Facility! And believe me; you won't have many with all the people you'll end up sending there!"_

"_Would you _like _to follow your brother and Alex to the Facility?!" I yelled, losing my temper. My heart was sinking into my stomach; I didn't want to believe that she might be right. "If not, then I suggest you watch yourself, or you'll be following them shortly! Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice to get what you want – to get what you _deserve! _–."_

"_But you don't sacrifice FAMILY!" Naomi screamed at me. I had never before seen her so furious. Her eyes were like emerald flames and the fury and hatred in her expression made her almost unrecognizable. "You don't sacrifice everything you ever cared about! You're such a hypocrite, Jori! You're the one who taught me that family is the most important thing there is and that NOTHING is worth sacrificing it for! And now, here you are, telling me that freedom is worth more than my brother! Well, let me tell you something, Jori: I DON'T AGREE!"_

_Naomi had no idea just how much those words hurt. She was throwing a truth in my face that I didn't want to hear. I didn't want to be told what I had done wrong; I already knew that. Hearing it from her made me want to go and join Mieke._

_Instead, I turned that pain into anger and shot back, "Well, let me tell YOU something, Naomi! If you don't watch your mouth, that pretty little face is gonna have an ugly Criminal Mark on it!" I took a deep breath and squeezed the bridge of my nose, trying to get my anger under control. Then I spoke again, this time softer. "You realize that I'm doing this for you, don't you? I want you to have the chance to live out all your hopes and dreams! Don't you see that, Naomi?"_

_But Naomi's expression didn't soften. She stood her ground, her fists clenched at her sides. "No, you're doing this for YOU, Jori," she stated bluntly, "and no one else. The only person you ever cared about was you. I don't know how I ever trusted you or called you my friend. You're just like THEM."_

_She spat the last words out like venom. She had to know how much they stung. I took a startled step back, feeling as though I had just taken a dozen strokes of a whip. Even worse was the realization of what I had really done: I had lost Naomi Mori. Permanently._

_I forced out a laugh, not letting my heart-break show, and said coldly, "Well, Naomi Mori, if that's the way you really want it, then I'll be leaving now." I turned to walk away, but before I had even taken a step, I added, "But just to clarify: I'm nothing like those thugs."_

"_Oh, really?" Naomi retorted with a sharp, humorless laugh. "Because it would seem to me that you both like to push people around and betray them in order to get what you want."_

_My self-control snapped. Like a possessed demon, before I even knew what I was doing, I spun around and rammed my outstretched arm into Naomi's side. She cried out in a surprise as she was thrown back into a pile of wooden crates near the wall. The snap and crackle of splintering wood filled the air, but I had already turned on my heel and ran out of the ally. I jumped onto my new Sector Security duel runner, revved the engine, and shot away, heading back to headquarters._

_I felt badly about what I had done; not just for pushing Naomi, but for everything else as well. Every particle of my being was screaming at me to go back and fix what I had done, to beg Naomi for forgiveness, to get Alex and Ryan out of the Facility, to somehow, anyhow, bring Mieke back…_

_But I couldn't. It was done. I had chosen my path, and Naomi had chosen hers. There was no going back now. So there was no point in dwelling on what was now history._

_All the same, I could not stop the tears that slowly fell from my eyes as I drove away that dark, fateful night._

It hurt to see all of that anger and resentment thrown at me through her eyes again. Her face had twisted in hatred and betrayal, her teeth bared, and I could almost see the old wounds I had left on her heart opening. The pain was the worst. In her eyes, I could see the five, long, biter years of pain I had condemned her to.

And she could never know how sorry I truly was for it. She never could – more she never _would _because I would never have the chance to tell her.

"That's right, Naomi," I cackled, burying remorse beneath the oath I had taken upon joining Sector Security, hiding my pain behind the curtains of my instructor's teachings. I grabbed my helmet and ripped it off my head, letting it fall to the ground, revealing the rust-colored hair, brown eyes, and freckled face that was Jori Kuma.

"I'm back!" I sang as my former friends stared at me in utter shock. "Did you miss me?"

* * *

><p>FS93: Anyone see that coming? *evil grin* Believe me, we have plenty more surprises in store in the next couple of chapters! *evil grin widens*<p>

EK94: If you review, Star will send you a preview! We have enough of that chapter we can do that anyway... Right?

FS93: Yup!

Both: Thanks for reading!


	12. Author's Note

Hey everyone!

I regret to inform you (in case you haven't figured it out already) that this story is being discontinued. Neither of the writers are involved in the 5D's fandom anymore, and the story was never completed in the first place. It would be one thing if all I had to do was type it up and post it, but since we never even finished it, well, it's not going to get finished now. As sad as I am to have to say I'm not finishing a story, this just isn't going to happen (just like the other unfortunate collabs we had planned that are never going to be finished but were fantastic ideas when we came up with them). Believe me, I kind of wish I was still writing for 5D's because while I was a part of this fandom I greatly enjoyed it, and it was, in fact, this fandom that got me into anime/manga in the first place as well as being responsible for getting me into writing fanfiction.

That being said, if any of you are into Fairy Tail, the both of us are currently writing for that. If you aren't into it, I would suggest it whole-heartedly!

Our sincerest apologies,

FallingStar93 (now xXChiasaHimuraXx) and ElodieKumari94 (now AnyDreamWillDo19).


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